The Hanging Tree
by Hope4thehopeless
Summary: In 984, Elijah married Althea against his will. In 1114, he kissed her in the south of Italy and felt alive. In 1359, they were found in the Alps by Mikael and forced to flee for their lives. In 1492, Althea was cursed. In 1530, Elijah took her to Northern France to escape he world and in 1648, she asked him to end her life. From Recovering4life, posted with permission. Elijah/OC.
1. 984 AD

**Chapter One: 984-985 A.D.**

 _"…Are you, are you_  
 _Coming to the tree?_  
 _Where they strung up a man they say murdered three_  
 _Strange things did happen here_  
 _No stranger would it be_  
 _If we met up at midnight in the hanging tree…"_

~ "The Hanging Tree" – James Newton Howard ft. Jennifer Lawrence

 _New World…_

 _January 15, 984 A.D._

"This is wrong," Esther hissed between her teeth as they stood in the center of the village and listened to the head council man, Erik Hernikson, proclaim a sixteen year old boy guilty of the murders of three men. Elijah curled his hand around his mother's wrist to prevent her from interfering. He knew what the penalty was if one interfered with council trials. Only last summer had a woman interfered to beg for her daughter's life and she'd been nearly beaten to death by her husband for the scene she had caused. The council's decision had been made and there was nothing that could be done.

Their village had a system and that system relied upon nine men to decide whether or not a person was innocent or guilty of the crime that they had been accused of. If a person was found guilty of the crime, they were led to their hanging by their most immediate family. The person leading the guilty person would remove their shoes and clothing until they were only in a shift and nothing else. They would walk a stone path where the sharp rocks would cut the bottom of their feet. It was believe that the blood that was wrongfully was taken and put it back into the earth to bring balance back to nature. The whole village would follow and sing along with whatever song the victimized family chose to sing. Some did not even sing, but instead they wept or spat foul words at the guilty person. At the end of the path, the person would be hung and everyone would walk to the village except for the family of the guilty party who would wait until everyone had returned before they left.

The trial that was happening was something everyone disagreed up. The outcome was to be given for a trial no one believed should have taken place. Three men had died, but most of the village believed that it was an accident except the council leader who was using the opportunity to abuse his power. Erik Henrikson was power hungry and Elijah pitied the young man who took the news of his life's ending without crying. The only person who wept or made a sound was his six year old sister, Anya. The child was the only family that the young man had. The family had been killed by the werewolves and the siblings had refused to be separated. Elijah could still remember burning the bodies of the two older brothers that he'd been friends with. Klaus had burned the mother and Finn had taken care of the two youngest children. That afternoon had been the saddest of his life as he'd watched Erik's daughter prevent Anya from interfering with the burial.

Elijah tightened his grip on his mother and he saw Finn move towards them in case Esther had to be restrained. The sixteen year old boy was quickly stripped of his clothes and his feet were left bare. Snow began to light fall as two armed men guided him to the beginning of the path where the sharp rocks that would collect the blood that was owed. All eyes were on Anya and she looked like she would faint. Elijah pitied the girl and wondered if she'd survive the stone path alone or even knew what she had to do.

"I won't let her do this alone. She's as innocent as her brother."

Elijah turned to see Althea, daughter of Erik Henrikson, step forward as the silent crowd watched. He barely knew the seventeen year old girl, but he could only imagine what Erik would do to her for her helping Anya. She was two years younger than Rebekah and he didn't know if they were friends or not. According to her father, Althea was far too opinionated for a girl and he'd nearly beaten her to death for disagreeing with him once. Esther had helped the girl afterwards, but Elijah knew very little about her. He dropped his mother's hand as Althea turned to him. Elijah could see fear in her eyes as pulled the hood down of her fur lined cloak.

"We will keep it safe," Esther told her softly as Althea handed it to him. She looked scared, but Elijah watched her turn around and walk slowly towards where Anya stood in the center by herself. The little girl's eyes went wide upon seeing who was walking towards her. Elijah watched as the young woman kneeled before the girl and spoke to her. The icy wind blew and he could imagine how cold both girls were. No one could hear what Althea said, but Anya nodded and turned around. As was custom, Anya's dress was take off and she wore only her shift. Althea unbraided the girls with care and the small ribbon that had been braided into Anya's hair was given over to Mikael, who had stepped forward to take the possession as was custom. Her tiny shoes were also given over as Althea kneeled for Anya.

She let the young girl undo the laces that had held her dress together. Standing, Althea slipped it from her body as her father looked on with fury evident in his eyes. She stepped out of the dress and handed it over to Mikael as well. She surrendered her shoes like Anya had and took off the small necklace and ring she'd been wearing. Kneeling again, Althea let Anya take out the ribbons and small comb that had kept her long, honey colored hair pulled back. Curls fell down her back and she stood up. Watching, Elijah stopped himself from going forward and aiding Althea when her father struck her down to the ground after she had handed over the last of her possessions to Mikael. Blood ran from her split lip, but she picked herself up from the ground.

She took Anya's hand and the girl squeezed it tight. Together they walked towards Anya's brother where the siblings' final goodbyes were traded. Anya's brother said something to Althea and she only nodded before red paint was brought forward. Custom dictated that the young man's hands would be dipped in the red paint to show that he had spilt innocent blood. Anya painted her brother's hand under Althea's gentle guidance.

Esther walked slowly towards the two girls as did many others. Custom dictated that the whole village witnessed the execution. The victimized family would choice the song to sing, but Elijah was sure that tradition was about to be broken as Althea looked down at Anya. Night was coming and torches gave light to the stone pathway as the boundary that the villagers could not pass over as they walked towards the site of the execution.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree?" Althea sang out clearly as she took Anya's hand again, "They strung up a man they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree."

Both girls stepped onto the path leading Anya's brother to his death and the villagers began to walk with them on the safe sides of the path.

"Are you, are coming to the tree? Where dead man called out for his love to flee," Althea sang as Anya winced when the rocks cut her feet. "Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if met at midnight in the hanging tree."

Elijah watched her as he and Esther walked side by side. Althea hardly winced as the rocks cut the bottom of her feet and she barely showed signs that the frigid winds were affecting her. He could see Anya trying to emulate Althea's courage for herself and her brother, but the little girl was failing.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where I told you to run, so we'd both be free," Althea and Anya sang out together. "Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree."

Esther squeezed his hand as they both watched the girls' feet become bloody.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree? Wear a necklace of hope, side by side with me," Althea sang out as she looked over at him. "Strange thing did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where I told you to run so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree."

His dark eyes met hers icy blue ones as other joined in singing the song.

"Are you, are coming to the tree? They strung up a man they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree."

Elijah felt his own voice coming alive as he watched Althea sing out with Anya at her side, "Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where dead man called out for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where I told you to run so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you coming to the tree? Wear a necklace of rope, side by side with me. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where I told you to run so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the midnight tree."

They approached the very tree that they'd been singing about and many voices died away. Two men came forward and took Anya's brother. A cover was put over his head and rope was thrown over a branch. Elijah watched as Anya closed her eyes tightly. Althea kneeled and turned the girl away from the sight. She never stopped singing as Anya hugged her tightly. Raising her hands, Althea covered Anya's ears as a stump was placed for the young man to stand on. Lifted on, the noose was placed around the young man's neck.

Elijah understood in that moment that Althea was protecting Anya from the sound of her brother's neck snapping or him choking to death. He continued to sing as his brothers joined in. Many others joined back in singing as Erik told the young man exactly what he was guilty of doing. The leader of the council voice was drowned out by the many people singing with Althea and Anya.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree?" Althea sang as the log of wood was removed and Anya's brother hung. "They strung up a man they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree."

* * *

 _A week later…_

 _January 22, 984 A.D._

It was nearly a week later that Elijah saw Althea. She was struggling to do washing in the river and it was obvious that she was taking on far more than she could do on her own. He was supposed to meet Tatia, but the sight of the young woman struggling just to pick up the woven basket containing several tunics brought a wave of pity. Going to her and picking up the basket before she could, he gazed into her blue eyes. Tear tracks stained her cheeks and a bluish-purple bruised told him all he needed to know about how Erik treated his daughter. Many viewed Althea as a compassionate, brave young woman, but she had humiliated Erik by undermining his authority in the village. Everyone knew that she had done the right thing. She had showed Anya compassion and had carried herself with a grace that many could not emulate. However, Erik Henrikson was like Mikael. Both men had their pride and Althea had hurt Erik's pride and she was paying a dear price for it. Kol had called her foolish for bruising that pride, but Elijah admired her bravery in daring to care for another regardless of the personal cost.

"Elijah," she breathed with surprise.

"Are you for home?" he asked her as he watched her closely. From the way she held herself, he knew that the damage Erik had done was worse than just a bruised cheek.

"Your home," Althea said softly, "I've been…ordered to do chores all day. It's my punishment for stepping out with Anya. My father has arranged for me to do all the chores for my home and yours. I have to carry that back. If he sees you carrying that…"

"I'll carry it and give it back to you before we reach the village. Is that fair?" Elijah offered and hoped she'd say yes. He had no desire to watch her struggle to carry the woven basket by herself knowing that she'd washed their clothes. Althea looked over her shoulder to the smoke in the distance. She looked fearful, but she turned back to him and nodded.

"Just until we're over the ridge," she murmured as she gathered the small leather pouch that contained some animal fat soap. Elijah easily lifted the basket onto his shoulder and let Althea lead the way. She pulled up the hood of her cloak and Elijah could see that the cloak was not the beautiful fur one she always wore. This one was thin and made of rough fabric that had many holes.

"What happened to the other cloak?" he asked before he could stop himself. "What happened to the one you gave me?"

"My father is keeping it in a trunk along with all my other clothing," Althea told him as she walked beside him. "He deems me unworthy to wear such comfortable clothing. He claims I do not appreciate such generous gifts."

Elijah looked down at her and he could see the determination in her eyes. It was obvious that she was in pain, but she would never admit such a thing to him. Her own pride would not allow her to do it.

"Do you regret what you did?" Elijah asked her as he came to a stop. Althea continued walking towards the ridge, but stopped a few paces ahead. She turned around and looked at him with such fierce look of defiance on her face that he was taken aback.

"No," she said in a strong voice. "I am proud that I was able to help Anya. A family has already taken her in and I can say with peace that I am happy that she has not suffered great agony over her brother's wrongful death. Hearing the relief in her voice when she thanked me for coming to her makes any punishment my father can give me worthwhile. He can break my body and hurt my flesh, but he cannot change what I did and that is all that matters."

Her words brought a smile to Elijah's face. He couldn't understand how Althea managed to be such a complex creature. She could be brave and strong and still be fearful and scared as bunny all at the same time. She could carry herself with grace even though bruises marked her delicate snow white skin. He had never met a more confusing person and yet, a small part of her intrigued him. She had layers and dimension to her that not many girls had. She was unafraid to act for the benefit of others regardless of the consequences. It was a trait that Elijah could easily admire.

"Not many would have done what you did," he told her quietly as he walked towards her. "It took courage to do what you did. That is something to be admired considering that there are many men who do not possess half the courage that you do."

"It was not courage that made me do what I did," Althea said looking down at her hands. "What my father did…Anya's brother threatened my father's power with knowledge of some kind and Erik had been looking for a reason to hurt that young man. It was not courage that made me help Anya. It was guilt, Elijah. I should have done something more to stop my father from hurting Anya's brother before that. He was innocent and we all knew it! Yet, he is now dead and his sister will bear his supposed shame for years to come. How is any of this brave?"

Elijah couldn't stop himself from reaching out and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. He let the soft, silky lock fall between his fingers.

"What you did might have come from guilt, but it took great amounts of courage. Not many could live with Erik and not break under his iron will. What you did for Anya was kind and compassion is a gift that is in constant shortage, Althea. Do not let your gift of compassion ever leave you. It would be like the North Star being snuffed out in the sky. Who would guide us lost souls home in the darkness?"

A blush came to her cheeks and she looked off into the distance with a soft smile on her lips. She turned to speak, but the sight of Kol racing towards them and yelling Althea's name stopped her.

"My mother is looking for you," Kol panted as he stopped before them. "She wants to know where her wash has gone. I told her you'd probably run off with it to flee Erik."

A panicked look crossed Althea's face as she looked at the woven basket, but Elijah began walking.

"We had a deal," he called to her. "That deal is also null and void. Come on! She probably has noon meal ready!"

Althea took off after him and demanded to know why their deal was off. Elijah laughed as she stopped in front of him and tried to jump and reach the woven basket on his shoulder. The truth was that she was very pretty, but height was not an attribute she possessed. Calling to Kol, Elijah laughed as his brother gently tossed Althea over his shoulder. She protested to such treatment, but Kol simply assured her that she deserved a few minutes off her feet before their mother came up with another chore that needed to be completed to spare her from going home to Erik.

Esther watched with keen interest as Elijah carried the woven basket with clothes into their home. Kol followed him inside with a playful smile, "I found her with Elijah by the river. Plotting and planning a meeting in the dark."

Althea managed to extract herself from Kol and smiled at Esther. The older woman quickly bid for Althea to come and sit before the fire. Esther sent Kol away with orders to find Finn and Klaus for the midday meal. Esther knew that there was only one son she could trust to be honorable towards Althea and not speak a word of what he'd seen.

"Turn around," Esther commanded and Althea did as she was told. Elijah watched as his mother guided Althea to sit on a stool before undoing the laces on the back of her dress. Angry red and purple marks littered Althea's skin as she pulled her arms free from the dress and hugged it to her chest.

"Bring me that salve," Esther murmured as she pointed to a bowl on the table. Elijah did as he was commanded and brought the bowl to Esther. Dipping her fingers in, Esther took the salve and gently applied it to the angry marks on Althea's back.

Elijah could tell that Althea was trying not to cry out at his mother's touch. Erik was a fool to even let his daughter out of bed with the wounds she had on her back. Esther's salve might help, but forcing Althea to work and do chores was detrimental to any relief Esther could give. Elijah supposed Erik's whole plan was based on that knowledge. He was still causing his daughter pain and punishing her.

Esther applied the last of her salve and gently retried the laces on the back of Althea's dress. Loosely done, Althea slowly stood and looked faint for a moment from the pain. Elijah moved towards her in case she did fall, but Althea reached out for the table instead.

"Thank you, Esther," she murmured. "You are a gift from the beyond."

Esther merely smiled and took a small piece of bread.

"For you," his mother whispered back. "You must be starved."

Elijah watched as Althea hungrily eyed the bread, but she went pale when she looked over Esther's shoulder.

"You're not supposed to feed the girl."

Hearing Mikael's growl, Elijah turned and saw his father's anger.

"She's hungry, Mikael," Esther defended calmly. "It's just some bread. Would you have the poor girl fall over and die on the way home?"

"Erik has his rules," Mikael snapped. "He told you not to feed Althea. Give the bread back, girl!"

Althea quickly put the piece of bread back down and bobbed a curtsy, "I should be going. Thank you for your kindness, Esther."

Esther watched as Althea stole one last look at Elijah before leaving. It didn't surprise her when after the meal Elijah stole a few extra scraps of food. Esther was sure that her son thought that he was being sneaky, but it wasn't hard to tell that something had gone missing. Spying as he son wrapped some breath in cloth and grabbed a jug of water, Elijah slipped out of their home as a plan formed in Esther mind. Althea was a good match for Elijah. They were both compassionate and had good hearts. Even Althea's brave actions had impressed her husband and rarely did anything impress Mikael. Smiling to herself, Esther quickly formed a plan of exactly how she was going to get Althea betrothed to Elijah before the end of the winter season.

* * *

 _Six Months Later…_

 _July 22, 984 A.D._

Althea held her breath as Ayanna placed her hand in Elijah's. She chanted words and Althea did not dare to steal a glance at him. She could feel the tension in his hand and knew that he was upset. His feelings for Tatia were not unknown to her or the village. The pair made no attempt to hide their fondness for each other and their desire to be with one another. Plenty of times she'd seen them sneak away to be with one another. Althea had wanted to follow them, but every time she'd tried they slipped out of her sight. She'd never known where they'd gone or what they'd done, but Elijah always seemed happier afterwards. There was no happiness in him this time. He squeezed her hand so hard that she suppressed a cry of pain.

His mother, Esther, and his father had been planning the union for months with the willingness of her father. Erik had been more than eager to give her away. She had long since come to the conclusion that her father hated the very sight of her just like he had hated her mother. Althea could barely remember her mother, but she remembered the lullaby that she had been sung every night. For months she had been in agony as Elijah had resisted over and over again the advance of his parents. She'd heard the yelling matches between father and son. She'd seen their tempers flare and Mikael's fists try and beat his son into submission. It had taken months, but Elijah had eventually become worn down from the fighting and agreed.

Her own father had used his own methods to force her into agreement…though she had eagerly said yes. She could not deny that she did have some affection for Elijah. He was a good man and it was not hard to like him. Handsome with dark eyes, she had quite liked the idea of marrying him, but the reality made her nervous. In her mind, it was one thing to have a silly weakness for a handsome man like most of the other girls in the village. It was an entirely different thing to marry the same man she had a silly weakness for. Whether it was his kind words or his devastating smile, Elijah made her nervous and she didn't like feeling nervous. He made her feel like a blush, bumbling twelve year old girl who didn't know how to act around the opposite sex.

The truth was that she did not love him. She could easily care for him and maybe one day she would come to love him. Erik had long since bullied her and going to Mikael's home as Elijah's wife seemed like gift from above. Erik belittled every skill she had and nearly beat her senseless after she'd tried to fight back after helping Anya during her brother's hanging. She could still feel the sting of his leather strap on her back and the pain of his forceful hits that had rained down for months after that fateful January night. Mikael and Erik were not so different and she silently prayed to whatever Gods existed that Elijah wasn't like their fathers. The creators of all things could not be so cruel to her.

Listening to Ayanna chant, Althea kept her head bowed and eyes on his bronzed hand. It didn't matter what Erik had done to her in the past. She could only have hope in Elijah's honor. He was a good man and he would keep her safe from those who would hurt her.

The celebration still continued on outside, but Althea knew what everyone waited for…the cloth that would prove that the union that existed between Elijah and herself was complete. Plenty of knowing women had gone with tradition of helping the bride before bed. Althea had been subjected to their knowing glances and a few giggles. Her dress had been removed and her body had been washed with lavender water. Expensive oils had been rubbed into her skin until her whole body hummed with calm relaxation. Her hair had been undone and left flowing down her back. Naked, Esther had come to lean her to the bed roll that she would share with Elijah. Tucked in like a child, Althea had heard the laughter and men singing of pretty virgins outside.

The night had been humiliating enough and Althea wanted nothing more than to pull the bearskin blanket over her head. One of the best traditions that the village practiced was the kissing tradition. After the couple had been married, if the groom left the bride's side, any man could kiss her. The tradition only happened on the wedding day, but it was still awful. Four times Elijah had left her side and she'd been kissed more times than she could possibly count. Kol had been the worst of the offenders and even good, moral Finn had joined in on the tradition. Althea supposed that she was most grateful that Mikael hadn't tried to kiss her or she would have probably fainted from the exertion.

Esther smiled and whispered goodnight to her before she slipped away. The thick animal hides that separated sleeping areas from other areas did very little to prevent Althea from hearing the vulgar and disgusting advice men were offering to Elijah on how to bed a virgin. Elijah was forced through the same ritual that she'd been forced through earlier in the evening, but on a much louder scale. A slave girl from the village would wash him and rub oil into his skin as

Elijah lay down on the roll next to her. Staying as still as possible, Althea closed her eyes and hoped that whatever torturous activity Elijah was about to inflict on her ended soon. She wasn't sure how long they both laid together side by side, but just as she was about to fall asleep Elijah sat up. The movement startled Althea back to wakefulness and she opened her eyes. She watched him withdraw a dagger from the small pouch near him. The blade was small, but sharp and her pulse kicked up a few moments later when he turned to her.

Without a word, Elijah pushed back the furs until she was completely bare to him. The cool air of the night prickled her skin and her nipples pebbled. Her whole body felt warm as anticipation flood through her veins. She tried to recall what the women had told her about what would happen. They had all said there would be a slight pinch, but there was also great pleasure to be had. Elijah's warm skin brushed against her and Althea held her breath for what was about to happen next.

What she hadn't expected was the dagger being dragged across the inside her thigh. She gasped as she felt the sharp sting. Looking at up Elijah whose brow was drawn in concentration, she made to move, but he pinned her down.

"They want a bloody cloth and that's what they're going to get," he muttered to her as he watched the blood trail down the inside of her thigh to the cloth beneath them. "Don't move."

Tears of frustration and utter humiliation pricked in the back of her eyes as she lay still beneath Elijah. She could feel his skin against hers as he shifted his weight to support himself. The same feeling of warmth spread through her body, but it was left unfulfilled. After a few minutes, Elijah grabbed a small scrap of cloth and pressed it into her hand before he moved away from her.

"For the bleeding," he said as he grabbed an animal hide. "Stand up."

Uncomfortable, Althea stood up. Elijah quickly wrapped the animal skin around her before they both looked down at the cloth Esther had laid out earlier in the day. She watched Elijah inspect it for a moment longer before he gathered up the cloth and slipped on his tunic. He pushed aside the animal hide and Althea breathed a sigh of relief. Not a sound was made inside the long house, but after a minute, she could hear the cheering and calls. Men were congratulating Elijah on his bride and she felt sick to her stomach. Tossing away the bloody cloth, Althea wrapped the fur tightly around her before going and lying back down beneath the animal skin blankets that Esther had pulled over her earlier.

Outside, the sounds of celebration continued and Althea wondered if she should wait for Elijah to return. Curled up, she waited for what seemed like hours before she fell asleep.

* * *

 _Four Months Later…_

 _November 18, 984 A.D._

"She is very beautiful," Klaus goaded as they walked along the path to the woods to hunt for food. "Althea is not dark like Tatia, but she is a very pretty creature. I don't think I've seen such beautiful curls in such a long time. I know that Rebekah is envious of her hair. Do not Althea's tresses remind you of fresh honey?"

"I had not noticed," Elijah said through gritted teeth and stepped off the path into the forest.

"You are the envy of every man in the village," Klaus laughed. "Surely, you realize how beautiful your bride is? I wonder why you are not with her now. No man would have faulted you for turning down a hunt in favor of her ripe—"

Elijah swung around so quickly that Klaus didn't have time to anticipate the dagger that was placed at his throat. The smirk on Klaus' lips never left as looked his brother in the eye. The tension was pulsing in the air under the rays of sun that broke through the tree line.

"Althea is not open for discussion," Elijah growled. "We will speak of her no further."

"Would you rather speak of Tatia and the kiss you shared earlier?" Klaus taunted back with a smirk. "I saw you with her this morning while gathering water for mother with Althea. She did not see you, but I did. Already trying to break your bride's heart, brother? Honestly, you must know that Althea admires you."

"Althea barely knows me. Whatever feelings she has for me will run their course and we will become platonic partners in life."

"How depressing, brother," Klaus sighed dramatically. "What a waste of such beauty."

He pushed away Elijah's hand before trudging on through the woods. Neither brother spoke as they walked on. Together, they trapped several rabbits and squirrels for the coming days. After skinning and dressing the animals, Klaus and Elijah returned home to the wonderful smell of food cooking. It was nearly time for the evening meal and many families were gathering in their homes. Esther was sitting by the fire with Althea and Rebekah.

At twenty, Elijah could not deny that Althea was beautiful. She was nine years younger than him, but she already possessed the body of a woman. An hourglass figure with ripe breasts and trim legs would tempt any man. He could admit his physical attraction to her, but to admit that he liked her or cared for her in any other way would be a lie. Tatia had his heart and love in her hands and he could not take what he felt for her back. His father's only objection to her had been the fact she had bore another man's child. Elijah was more than willing to see past that, but Mikael had not.

It had been his mother's begging that had final made him give into their demands that he marry Althea. She had begged him to do it for the sake of harmony in their home. For months, everyone had been on edge over the fighting. Rebekah had withdrawn into herself while Kol had spent more and more time away from them. Even Klaus had grown wearier than usual of their father's fits of anger. Elijah knew that his refusal to marry Althea bruised their father's pride and nothing was more deadly than Mikael with hurting pride.

Moving to sit down by the fire, Elijah watched Althea as she let his little brother, Henrik, braid her hair. It was becoming a knotted mess more than anything, but she still encouraged the little boy. He had promised Tatia that he'd never touch Althea in any way that would result in her bearing a child. His father could not force him to father a child. It was the one thing that gave Elijah comfort. It was the one thing he could do for Tatia in the horrific situation they found themselves in. She had begged him not to let Althea have his children. She had claimed that the sight would kill her and break her heart. Tatia had even threatened killing herself if he did such a thing. He believed that given the chance, Tatia would not break her promise.

Rebekah shooed Henrik off and sat behind Althea. With quick hands, both women quickly undid the tangles that had been Henrik's attempts at braiding. His mother's comforting voice called for Althea and Rebekah to come to help her.

With grace, Althea rose to her feet and followed Rebekah. His bride was still shy and it was obvious to him that she had yet to fully grow comfortable around their family. Mikael frightened her easily and Elijah could see that like Rebekah, his wife kept her distance. Watching the freshly made stew be dispensed out, Elijah couldn't help but see how Niklaus had been right. Althea's hair did look like honey in the firelight as she walked towards him with a bowl. She gave it to him before sitting gracefully down next to him. She smelt like fresh lavender and Elijah felt the physical pull to her again. He briefly entertained the thought of what it would be like to touch her. She was his wife and it was well within his right to touch her. He wondered if all parts of her were as silky smooth as the skin on her hands.

The reminder of his vow to Tatia came back to him and Elijah pushed any thoughts of Althea's skin out of his head. Tatia would be in tears if she knew of his thoughts and he would not break her heart. She'd been through enough pain and he would not hurt her like her husband had.

* * *

 _One Month Later…_

 _December 30, 984 A.D._

Althea stood in between Elijah and Niklaus as Mikael walked towards the stone bar where little Henrik's body lay. Dead at the tender age of six, Althea promised to herself that she would not cry. She would be strong for Elijah and his family. She could not imagine the pain of losing her own child, but in the little time that Althea had come to know Henrik, she'd come to love him in her own special way.

Placing a hand on Elijah's arm, he quickly shrugged her off and turned. Watching him walk off, Althea struggled with whether or not to go after him. Watching Henrik's body burn in the fire, Althea quickly turned away. She could not bear to watch the sweet, loving boy who had learn how to braid with her hair burn away in a fire. It was too much and it broke her heart. Seeing Elijah's form in the dying light, she followed him at a distance. He would not be ready to speak with her, but she wouldn't push him. She would offer him comfort in any way that she could. It didn't matter how, but all she wanted to do was comfort him.

She watched Elijah take a torch from the path he was follow and step into the woods. Following the light of the torch, Althea knew that it was dangerous to walk off without a dagger, but she could not stop herself from wanting to know where he was going.

Elijah ducked down into the mouth of a cave and Althea followed. She used the wall as her guide and kept her eyes on the light the torch offered. After a distance, Elijah stopped in a small cove and Althea ducked down into the shadows. She could hear water dripping and Elijah breathing heavily, but otherwise the place was completely silent.

Inside her, a storm raged on. She wanted to reveal herself, but she suspected that Elijah would be angry that she followed him. She watched as Elijah stood by himself for a moment and decided to reveal herself. Before she could step out into the light of the burning torch, Tatia entered the small cove. The woman raced to Elijah and caressed his cheeks and shook her head. Tears ran down her cheeks and Althea could barely stand to keep her own tears in cheek.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to Elijah. "I cannot imagine your pain."

Elijah said nothing as Tatia spread a blanket out onto the stone floor. When she stood up he kissed her passionately. Standing in the shadows of the cave, Althea felt her blood run cold at the sight of Elijah and Taita together on the blanket. Clothing was quickly taken off and when Elijah entered Tatia, Althea turned away. She could not bear the sight of the union. Finding her way in the dark, Althea emerged in a spot different from where she'd entered the caves. Looking out, she could see the large ash tree that was used to hang offenders of the village laws. She could still feel the pain of Elijah's betrayal stabbing her in the heart as she walked towards the tree.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree? Wear necklace of hope, side by side with me," Althea sang softly as she stopped and gazed up at the many branches. "Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree."

In the moon light, she could see her mother's own body hanging in her mind. She had been but a child when it had happened, but Althea could still remember the horror of seeing her mother's body swaying next to a young man's. Snow began to fall as the memory of what she'd just witnessed mixed with the memory of her mother's death.

"Anya's father," Althea murmured as everything came together in her mind. Staring at the tree, she could feel the presence of another person with her. Turning, she met Mikael's gaze. Never had the man had shown her any sort of feeling and yet, Althea willingly let him take her hand to examine her palm.

"Your necklace and ring," Mikael murmured as he placed them in her hand. He closed her fingers around the jewelry before he left her as swiftly as he'd come. Watching him go, Althea slipped her ring on and put her mother's necklace around her neck. Touching the small circular pendent, she felt some measure of comfort, but the comfort she felt did very little to erase what she'd seen in the cave between Elijah and Tatia.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree? Wear necklace of hope, side by side with me. Strange things did happen here," she sang softly as tears spilt down her cheeks. "No stranger would be if met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you coming to the tree?"

* * *

 _Three Weeks Later…_

 _January 19, 985 A.D._

Althea was quiet as she helped Esther prepare for the midday meal. She replayed the last argument she'd had with Elijah in her head. She couldn't even recall what it had been about, but it had ended with her accusing him of kissing Tatia, the widow of some Viking warrior. Elijah had not denied her accusation and she thanked the Gods that their fight had been in the woods. She'd been able to run away from him and wonder around for hours without being disturbed. She'd returned only at nightfall and had slept next to Elijah like nothing had transpired between them.

It was only at day break was she able to escape. At night, they never touched, but it was torture to lay next to him and know all the while she wanted to know what it felt like to be kissed and touched by a man. Oh, there had been celebrations and the customary wedding bed sheets had been shown the next morning. Neither one of them had said anything about how Elijah had cut the inside of her thigh with a small dagger to provide blood for the sheet. It had been a humiliating process and afterwards, the women of the village had shared all their horror stories of wedding nights gone wrong. It sat in the back of her mind that one day Althea would have to provide sons for Elijah. She just didn't know how she would go through the process of creating a child with a man who did not want her.

"You're quiet," Esther said softly. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm suppose I'm just missing little one," Althea replied sadly. "We all are and we all feel his loss. Henrik brought so much joy to our hearts."

Her words made Esther pause. The older woman looked over at her and a single tear ran down her cheek. Without a word, the older woman grasped her hands tightly and looked almost desperately at Althea.

"I know you care for my son, Althea. I know you care for him and I hope this fever for Tatia breaks soon and I know that you can't see it, but my son is a good man. I know in my heart that you'll be with my son forever," Ester whispered passionately. "The world can be yours together. Can you imagine that? Think of that, Althea…living on and on…with no end and no pain…only love grown for the deepest part of your hearts. No death and no pain with my son, just love."

Young and naive, Althea looked at Ester with hope in eyes. It was no secret that the young woman cared for Elijah. She did not love him, but that did not matter.

"The pure goodness that flowed in your veins will help temper my children as they pushed through the world with everlasting life," Esther whispered. "Promise me that you will never leave Elijah's side. He'll need you more than even he knows. Promise me, Althea. Promise me!"

The young woman nodded and Esther let go with a motherly smile as she cupped Althea's cheeks, "Good, now let's get this meal ready before the men come in hunger and we have nothing to give them."

* * *

 _One Month Later…_

 _February 17, 985 A.D._

Snow fell from the skies and even the fur lined cloak she wore couldn't keep out the cold. The icy gust of window on her cheek matched the icy chill that was forming in her soul. The very soul that starved for the very thing she could never have. She wanted the man who was destined to love another. The very idea of condemning herself to an eternity of watching him love others and never loving her seemed like a punishment worse than any creator could craft for her. She'd already sworn to Esther that she would never leave Elijah and she would not break her word to the one woman who had loved her like a child.

Passing a dying oak tree that marked the path Althea turned and walked slowly to the tree lined ridge that gave her a perfect view of the valley below. During the summer, the very breath of nature could calm her. Winter made everything look lifeless and it could comfort her in a way that she couldn't describe. Wrapping her arms around a solid tree trunk, she looked below to the events unfolding in snow covered forest floor. Tatia stood behind a tree with a smile on her face as Elijah walked through the trees pretending not to know where she was. It was the same game they always played and Althea had seen the game enough times to know it always ended in Elijah getting a kiss. Staring at them below, she could hear the distinctive breaking of branches that could only have been Klaus walking to her.

"Don't you look heartbroken, little sister," he drawled and Althea could hear the smile in his voice. "You should be rejoicing. Soon, we will not be able to die. Tomorrow is the day that changes everything."

"An eternity of misery is not what I planned my life to be like," she whispered as they stood on the ledge. Below, Tatia ran between the trees with Elijah following behind closely. He joyfully called her name and Tatia laughed. Klaus stood next to Althea and gently rested his hand on her lower back. Elijah caught Tatia and they both fell onto the fur cloak that had been laid on the ground. Kisses were exchanged and the sight was almost too much.

"I should just ask you to push me over the edge and break my neck," Althea murmured as a tear fell down her snow white cheek. A gust of wind blew down the hood of her cloak. A few pieces of honey blonde hair that was braided back caught in the wind. Klaus tucked a piece behind her ear and gave her a sad smile. Her icy blue eyes met his for a moment before she turned away to look down at the woods below them.

"Pain will fade with time," Klaus murmured to her softly/ "You'll met someone else and the pain my brother inflicts on your heart will fade into nothing."

"Even if I do meet another person," Althea whispered back. "You must realize Klaus, the heart always wants the one thing it can never have."

"No, have not realized such a thing because I have no heart."

"I do not believe that."

"You should not let yourself fall into despair, sister," Klaus told her. "An eternity of depression will make you very difficult to be around."

* * *

Leave a Review!


	2. 1114 AD

**Chapter Two: 1114 A.D.**

"… _And I told you to be patient_ _  
_ _And I told you to be fine_ _  
_ _And I told you to be balanced_ _  
_ _And I told you to be kind_ _…"_

 _~ "Skinny Lover" – Birdy_

 _Southern Italy…_

 _August 15, 1114 A.D._

Elijah had hoped to sit alone in the sitting room that joined his rooms with Althea's and read for the afternoon. It had become his favorite room of solitude as if by some unspoken rule, she knew that he liked the silence of the room and did not interfere. Rarely did they ever spend time together in their rooms, but for appearances, Elijah kept their rooms close together. His chambers were to the left and hers were to the right of the sitting room. Niklaus was his bachelor brother and Rebekah was his young, unwed sister, who was also the companion of his wife. Everything Elijah did was so that people did not become suspicious and start rumors about their family. He made sure that nothing anyone did could be reproached. Already, the Brotherhood of Five had already arrived in the south of Italy and they were burning and killing vampires as they went. The leader, Alexander, had already nearly discovered their existence and Elijah was not willing to give the man a second chance. The man's new tactic it seemed was to go after Rebekah and it was something both he and Klaus disapproved out.

"You must do something," Niklaus hissed to Althea as he kept her pinned in her chair. "Rebekah is making a very foolish decision."

"Why me?" she snapped back in a fury. "She is your sister!"

"She is your friend and she became _your_ sister when _you_ married _my_ brother!"

"So that makes me responsible for her? You are her brother. Great defender of young female virtue," Althea mocked. "Let me get up, Niklaus!"

"Enough," Elijah called tiredly as he turned away from windows. "Niklaus, move aside and let her stand."

In a huff, Althea stood and swept out of the sitting room with the skirts of her blood red dress swirling around her. Elijah watched her go before he turned his back on Klaus. His brother and Rebekah did not share his concern for The Five and Althea did not voice any of her own thoughts. Erik had once called her opinionated, but Elijah wondered if over the centuries she'd withdrawn from them all. Since their change, she'd become so quiet and reserved. He hardly recognized the Althea that was with them now. Rebekah was one of the few people that she spoke with and Klaus was as protective of her as ever. Elijah would admit that those things hadn't changed, but something was still missing.

In truth, Althea was a far better vampire than any of them. She made sure to use compulsion on her victims and never did she make a mess when spilling blood. In fact, Elijah wondered if his own delicate wife had ever killed a person. If she had, she made sure to hide any evidence and he wished not for the first time that Klaus and Rebecca were more like Althea in their feeding habits.

Moving to the terrace, he stared down into the gardens and watched the very woman he was meditating on pick up a scroll and read. She had a thirst for knowledge that matched her thirst for blood. While Rebekah pursued men and the enchantments that they offered, Althea pursued learning and her thirst always left Elijah looking for a new master for her were ever they went. She was learning ancient history during their time in Italy and she had become a masterful drawer as well. He could only imagine want to learn next.

"I know you think that they are up to something," Klaus drawled as he poured himself wine. "I do hate to break this to you brother, but The Five are not after anything. They think themselves superior to us and that is their mistake. Hell! I will have them killed in less than a minute if you think it will ease your mind."

"I do not trust them, Niklaus," Elijah spoke as he bent over and rested his forearms on the iron railing. They could see the sea from their grand villa that had once belonged to a Roman politician some centuries ago. Set against the beautiful coast, the town where they were staying was only ten miles from Naples. Mostly a holiday village, they were close enough to the sea that he could hear the waves crashing against the shore.

This place was meant to be one of safe haven. So many travelled to the south of Italy to enjoy the warm air and calming waters that were said to have healing properties that Elijah had been sure that they would blend seamlessly in with the crowds of people. That had been his plan, but the threat of the Brotherhood weighted heavily on his mind. They triggered a warning deep inside him and brought out a protective instinct that he had never known existed in him.

"Oh, don't be foolish brother!" Klaus exclaimed as he threw himself back into the chair that he had cornered Althea in.

"I am thinking of this family," he said as he watched Rebekah come rushing into the garden. She honed in on Althea's location and was immediately at her sister's side. Pulling Althea from the shaded bench where she'd been sitting, Elijah watched with interest. Althea briefly fought his sister about abandoning her reading before Rebekah won the struggle. The scroll was tossed aside and Rebekah's gleeful smile at winning was evident on her face.

"You are seeing problems where none exists and you are going to cause problems with this Brotherhood. We should just let them drone on and on about vampires and watch with amusement. Does Finn agree with your paranoia brother?"

"Finn does not speak to us of much. Besides, ignoring these five men…is that how you think we should precede?" Elijah questioned as he continued. Althea looked at the scroll with a look of longing as Rebekah pulled a ribbon from the bodice of Althea's dress. A deep blue, the dress was fashionable with trumpet sleeves and the billowing skirts that had become popular among the wealthy. Elijah watched as Althea protested as Rebekah moved behind her and released the silk white veil that fell down her back. It had become a custom for a married woman to wear such a veil and though it was different from what he'd been used to, Elijah couldn't truly see the allure of it.

Rebekah tossed the material onto the small table with the scrolls and quickly redid Althea's hair in what she deemed a more alluring style. Hair that had been braided back and tucked up was undone. Althea's hair fell to the small of her back and it amazed Elijah that he hadn't known how long it had become. Rebekah tucked the comb that had held the white veil in place back in Althea's hair. Making sure that the curls fell how she wanted, Rebekah nodded before she turned Althea around and slowly tugged at her dress. When the women turned, Elijah could see that Rebekah had changed the dress' neckline so that his wife's shoulders were visible to the world. The slopes of her breasts were more visible and instinctively, he didn't like it. Rebekah grabbed Althea's wrist and pulled her across the courtyard and out of sight.

"Let's hope that Althea talks some sense into Rebekah about that man…Alexander," Klaus scoffed as he joined Elijah on the balcony. "It's disgusting how she fawns over him. She claims to love him. I fear I shall be sick if she says such a thing to me again."

Elijah moved to go back inside to return to his book, but paused. Althea came rushing back into the courtyard as a young man chased her. She easily wove through the trees as the remaining members of the Brotherhood of Five stepped into the garden. Rebekah and Alexander were the last two to walk into the garden. The men called out to Althea not to run for she was too beautiful to injure herself. His wife simply laughed and Elijah was unable to take his eyes from Althea as two of the brotherhood members sought to catch her. Her curls fell and every time she turned and spun around, her curls followed her and caressed the bare skin of her shoulders. Her creamy skin gave her an ethereal look as one of the men caught her and spun her around while she laughed joyfully.

"An angel on earth," Klaus said voicing his thoughts. "You will not find another beauty like Althea should you live to be two thousand years old. I believe that men are still jealous of you for possessing such a creature as her for a wife."

Klaus walked back into the villa and left Elijah watching the party unfolding in the gardens below. A plan quickly formulated in his mind and he knew that it was perfect. Smiling, he turned away and returned to his reading knowing that he'd have his answers about the Brotherhood of the Five soon enough.

All he had to do was act like a concern noble and support their movement.

* * *

 _Two Weeks Later…_

 _August 29, 1114 A.D._

Althea stood next to Elijah and could hardly account for the nerves that she felt. In the near century that she'd been a vampire, this was the first party that she and Elijah had thrown together as husband and wife. He stood next to her with an easy smile on his handsome face as he bowed to a noblemen and his wife. Althea gave the proper curtsy to the couple before they passed through to the courtyard gardens to join the celebration. Wine flowed freely and musicians played lively dances that kept many people laughing and moving.

"A success, I believe."

The familiar sound of Alexander's deep voice drew Althea from her thoughts as she looked up at the tall man. Well over six feet tall and built like an ox, Althea could see why his handsome face would enchant Rebekah. To her, Elijah was still the handsomest man she'd ever laid eyes on. Resting her hand in the crook of Elijah's elbow, Althea bobbed a curtsy as he nodded at the bow Alexander gave him.

"The praise goes to Lady Althea," Elijah said with a smile as he covered her hand with his. "She has worked tirelessly to see that this celebration is a grand success. I gave her such short notice, but she has exceeded all our expectations for this evening."

"Ah," Alexander said with a smile. "And what are we celebrating, pray tell? Will a son of yours born soon, Lord Mikaelson?"

Althea stiffed at the presumptuous question that passed from Alexander's lips. Elijah's hand tightened over hers in warning as he continued giving Alexander an easy going smile. Inside, Althea was screaming at him not to play along with the man's assumptions. It had always been a dream of hers to have her own child and she did not think that she could falsely pretend that such a joyous event was going to happen.

"You must wish me joy when the event happens," Elijah smiled with pleasure. "We believe it will happen in the early spring."

Alexander let out a booming laugh and thanked them for inviting him and his men. Watching the man walk into their courtyard with his brothers, Althea felt anger growing within her as she turned to look at Elijah questioningly. He must have easily read the anger in her eyes as he shook his head.

"We need a cover and it must be something everyone buys," he told her quietly as another couple passed them and paid their respects. "Everyone celebrates a child and it is a perfect excuse."

"You and I both know that there has never been and never will be anything to celebrate," Althea whispered back harshly. "Nothing about our marriage has ever been happy enough to warrant a celebration."

Elijah stood silent beside her as the procession of guests continued to flood them. Never had Althea spoken of their marriage. Klaus often tormented them both on the subject of their marriage, but beyond that…nothing was ever said about their union. When it was appropriate from them to leave their greeting duties, Elijah escorted Althea in. Many guests approached them for an audience and quickly it became a blur of smiles and polite conversations. All the while, Elijah had been guiding them towards the table in the corner where Klaus sat with a pretty red haired girl. The moment he saw them, Klaus forced her to leave. The girl pouted for a minute before quickly sweeping off in anger.

From the smile on Klaus' face, Elijah knew word had spread about the child Althea supposedly carried. Pulling a chair out from the table, Elijah let Althea sit before he claimed the spot next to her. A servant brought them food and slowly, Althea picked a few different fruits to eat as well as some different cheeses.

"Your party is a success, brother," Klaus drawled as he raised his wine glass/ "A success with a wondrous cause to celebrate. Even Finn came down to celebrate your impending joy."

"Niklaus," Elijah said in warning. Althea's body tensed as she raised a grape to her lips. She took a bite and swallowed as both brothers watched her for different reasons. Althea picked up the knife the servant had brought with the tray of food and cut her pieces of cheese into small cubes.

"I'm to wish you joy, sister," Klaus continued with a cruel smile/ "When is the happy event taking place? Are you to be the second virgin birth in history?"

Elijah did not move fast enough to stop Althea from driving the knife through the back of Klaus' hand. Klaus let out silent howl of pain and slowly pulled the knife out of his hand and the table beneath it. The smile Klaus wore told Elijah that his younger was exceptionally pleased with himself for causing Althea to lose her iron grip on her self-control.

"Go rot in hell," she breathed angrily.

"I suppose I deserved that," Klaus conceded with a smirk/ "Do you really think that Elijah's little knife cut tricked the witches in our village? Mikael and Erik might have bought it, but I happen to know that our mother spelled that cloth and knew the truth of your unconsummated marriage. I do think that you and Elijah hold the record for the longest unconsummated marriage. How on earth can you be your age and be uneducated about the other sex?"

Elijah watched Althea eyeing his own knife and he quickly stood and pulled her to her feet. Guiding her away from Klaus and his brother's words, Elijah pulled her to the dance floor just as slow dance was beginning. There was still a murderous gleam in her eyes, but Elijah could see something else behind her icy blue orbs. He just couldn't figure out what was happening beneath the perfectly controlled surface. A three set dance, the pace barely gave Elijah a chance to speak to Althea about Klaus' words. As the last notes of the music faded, Althea shot him a cold look before she disappeared into the throng of people leaving and entering the dancing area for the next dance. He moved to go after her, but Klaus caught him and pulled him towards a table were all five of the brothers sat together.

"You wanted to find out more about this little about the Brotherhood and I have them all together," Klaus said. "Come."

* * *

It was either very late or very early when Althea slipped back into the villa. After Klaus' cruel words, she could no longer remain anywhere near Elijah. She had always known about his promise to Tatia to never touch her and it was something that Tatia had taken great joy in taunting her with. Klaus knew of the promise, but then again, Klaus knew everything it seemed. The knowledge that Elijah had made such a promise still humiliated Althea. It didn't matter that Elijah had killed the woman he loved or that over a hundred years had passed, her cheeks still burned with the knowledge of such a promise. He and Tatia had robbed her and she was furious with her own decision to promise Esther that she would never leave the woman's son.

Walking through the garden, the evidence of the night's celebration lingered on the ground and in the air. It was odd to her that no one was cleaning up the mess, but she supposed that Elijah had sent everyone to the bed. The ability to see well in the dark always seemed like such a blessing on night when there was no light left burning. The moon and stars could only provide so much light. Quickly making her way to her room using the servant stairwell, Althea slipped inside and closed the door. Leaning back against the door, she stared with longing at the bed that beckoned her to lie down. Her maid had already left out her shift out to sleep in. Walking towards the bed, she undid the veil that had been in her hair before slipping off the slippers she'd worn and her mother's necklace.

She had just taken off the outer layer of her dress when she heard the sound of footsteps behind the door that led to the servant's stairwell. The steps stopped outside her door and she could hear Alexander's voice telling his men that Althea was the last vampire in the Original Family that had to be daggered. Moving quickly, she managed to slip into the sitting room that Elijah favored. She moved quickly to his door and breathed a sigh of relief in finding it unlocked. She silently moved the latch and pulled the door open as she heard the men opening her own chamber door.

A dying fire burned in the fireplace not far from the bed where Elijah laid. Althea covered her mouth to stop the scream that threatened to escape. A dagger was buried in Elijah's chest and he looked dead. Racing to the bed, she quickly tore the sheets away from him and touched his cool face. It did not even matter to her that he wore nothing but a pair of breeches. Any other time, she would have been embarrassed to see him in such a state of undress, but the shock that flowed through her veins prevented any other emotions.

"No, no," she whispered to herself on the verge of hysteria. "You cannot leave me. I promised Esther that I would always be with you. Do not go somewhere I cannot follow."

Not knowing what to do, Althea yanked the dagger out of Elijah chest and looked hurriedly around the room as she suppressed a cry at the sight of his blood on her hands. She did not know if Elijah was not truly dead, but just the sight of seeing him in such a state was enough of a distress to her. The dagger fell onto the sheets next to his body as she forced back tears. Summoning all her strength, Althea walked to the door and slowly peered outside. No one was in the hallway and she knew that Klaus' room was only two doors down the passageway. Just as she was about to slip out, she heard Alexander's voice before he stepped out into the passageway. Closing the door so she could see through a crack, Althea waited and held her breath.

"She's not here," Alexander told the man on his right. "Find her. Quickly! If she removes the daggers from the vampires, they will awaken again."

The news came as such relief that she covered her mouth to prevent any sounds from escaping. Watching the men run in the opposite direction, they left the passage. Looking over her shoulder at Elijah's figure, Althea turned and ran down the hallway to Klaus' room. Opening the door, she breathed a sigh of relief seeing Klaus sitting up in bed with the dagger in his hands. All the anger that she'd felt at him from earlier in the evening faded away at that very moment as she closed the door behind her.

"Oh, thank God you're alright," she breathed as she rushed towards him and hugged him, "Elijah was stabbed with the blade, but I pulled it out. I heard Alexander say that once the blade is removed that the vampire returns to normal. What has happened?"

Klaus hugged her back for a moment before he pulled back, "How were you spared? You are not part werewolf."

"I went down to the church," Althea confessed in tears. "The bishop there has been teaching me Greek and history. I came back and when I was getting ready for bed, I heard steps and voices behind the door that led to the servant's stairway outside my room. Alexander was telling his men that I was the last original that had to be daggered. I crossed the sitting room to Elijah's room and when I opened the door…he was lying in bed with a dagger in his chest. I don't know which man did it, Niklaus, but Alexander is in our home. I didn't see anyone coming back to the villa, but the whole village was quiet. It was so very strange and now I know why."

"Go back to Elijah's rooms and wait for him to awaken," Klaus ordered calmly as he brushed one of her tears away. "It may take him sometime, but he will be alright. I will slaughter the men who thought they could harm our family. Lock the doors, Althea. I will send someone when I have avenged us."

Althea nodded and quickly fled back down the hall as Klaus stood up and growled. He could hear the heartbeats of the five men who made up the Brotherhood. There was only one person who could have been foolish enough to show them into the resting places and even to their rooms.

Rebekah…

Elijah felt himself returning and fury was flowing in his veins. Someone had daggered him and that person would pay for their mistake with their life. Hearing the hurried steps of a person, Elijah kept his eyes closed as he smelt the familiar scent of lavender lingering in his chamber. The one thing that hadn't changed in the one hundred and thirty-one years he'd been married to Althea was the scent that she used.

Hearing the door open, Elijah kept his eyes shut until he heard the door close. In a second, he was out of bed and had Althea pinned against the wall with a hand over her mouth. The sheer white panels that had covered the twin double glass doors that led out to the balcony blew in with the gentle winds and caressed their skin. Wrapped in their own world, Althea's doe eyes were wide with fright for a moment before she relaxed against him. Holding a finger to his lips, Elijah moved his hand away from her mouth and stared down at her in the moon light. The elegant combination of braids that had kept her hair up was coming undone and tendrils were falling around her face and neck. It was only then that Elijah became acutely aware of the silk dress she wore. Falling down, the dress bared her shoulders and the creamy slopes of her breast.

The only thing that prevented the dress from falling and revealing her ripe breasts was the bodice of the dress and Elijah knew that all he had to do was reach behind her and pull that stays keeping the bodice closed. He was also acutely aware of the fact that their bodies were pressed together and he could feel every inch of her against him. He was barely aware of his hands slipping down her body. One hand rested on the small of her spine while the other grasped her supple hip.

"Elijah."

The way she breathlessly said his name only made him want her more. He wondered why he hadn't noticed how full her lips were before that moment. They begged to be kissed and he unconsciously leaned down towards her. He knew that she just as affected as he was and it excited him. Her own hands touched his skin and her hands left a trail burning desire in its wake. How easy it would be to take her to bed with him. Just from the look in her eyes, Elijah knew that she wanted him as much as he wanted her. She would be a more than willing participant. There was a fire behind her eyes that could easily be ignited into passion and Elijah suspected that Althea was an exceptionally passionate woman.

On their own will, his lips found hers and he tasted for the first time the sweet nectar that was her lips. Pressing her back into the wall, Elijah could barely think. All he knew was that Althea's lips were the most wonderful lips he'd ever kissed and he wanted more. He wanted to lose himself in her lips and in her flesh. He wanted all of her and the feeling of her arms pulling him to her told him that she was of the same mind.

The sound of a knock at the door broke the spell that had been waved around them and the predator in Elijah awakened as their kiss was broken. Turning quickly, he paused only for a moment to stare at the door before using his speed and open the door. He yanked a young man into the room before pinning him to the wall by the throat.

"Someone daggered me this eve," Elijah breathed to him. "And I'm very hungry after being dead. Who did it?"

"Lord Niklaus sent me to summon you to the Lady Rebekah's room," the young man choked as Elijah applied pressure. "Please! Lord Mikaelson, I know nothing of what happen here tonight!"

Before he could give the young man another chance to speak, Elijah snapped his neck. Looking over to Althea, he felt the now familiar rush of passion return. Leaning against the wall, Althea looked at him in such an innocent way that he barely resisted the urge to rush back and kiss her again.

"Althea—"

"We should go find Klaus," she interrupted as she pushed herself off the wall and walked past him. He couldn't help but to notice the slight sway of her hips as she walked past him. It was like magnetism that pulled him to her and down the hall to where a yelling match was taking place between Rebekah and Klaus.

* * *

Sitting on the floor, Althea folded Elijah's tunics and arranged them neatly into the trunk. Niklaus had thrown a fit over Rebekah sneaking in Alexander for a night of passion. It was obvious that once Alexander had daggered Rebekah that he'd snuck him men in and had proceeded to dagger Klaus and Elijah. Poor Rebekah had not seen the danger in inviting Alexander in and she had been truly devastated over the betrayal that had made. Klaus had insisted that they leave Italy behind and Elijah had agreed with him. Althea had listened quietly for the near two hours that Elijah and Klaus had lectured Rebekah over her stupidity. It had only been her intervention that had prevented Klaus from placing the dagger back in Rebekah's heart. It had given the poor girl the chance to flee from the room and comfort her broken heart on her own.

While begging and directing Klaus to forgive Rebekah, Althea had heard her sister lock herself in a bedroom alone. It had taken over an hour to calm Klaus and give him the excuse that Rebekah had fallen under the influence of love. The agreement had ended with Klaus storming off and Althea sneaking her maid, Maude, into the bedroom to help Rebekah. Althea hoped that time would give Klaus the opportunity to calm down and recognize that Rebekah had learned from her mistake. Althea doubted that Klaus would actually do such a thing, but it was still time for the anger to simmer. Not bothering to turn around, Althea paused when she smelt the lemon soap that Elijah used. His figure blocked the sunlight that had been streaming in through the opened door.

"You don't have to pack my things," he said quietly. "I believe we have servants to do that."

Not replying to his words, Althea twisted the tunic that she held in her hands and looked down at the dark fabric green fabric with gold embroidery that she had done herself. She hadn't spoken to Elijah since he'd kissed her and she'd kissed him back. The very memory of his lips on hers brought warmth to her cheeks and a deep desire to repeat what they done. She just didn't want them to stop once they started.

"We have servants for Klaus and Rebekah to eat if they get hungry," she told him quietly as she forced herself to resume packing the trunk and to forget his lips touching any part of her. Ignoring his presence in the room, Althea stood and grabbed a few more pieces of clothing before returning to sitting on the floor in front of the open trunk.

"There is no one left to do it," she sighed after a moment. "Klaus has compelled most of the servants to clean up his bloody mess and my maid is with Rebekah. Your sister locked herself in one of the bedrooms and will not let anyone in or out until she is sure that she is safe from your brother. As you know, Klaus threatened to dagger her and he will not take the dagger out of Finn. I easily can understand Rebekah's fear. I shall go and pack her things when I have finished in here."

"It is probably for the best," Elijah said quietly as he moved to sit on the floor next to her, "Finn does not like the monsters he believes we've become. His and Klaus' hostile relationship has become tiresome and I shall enjoy the peace. I know that you will miss Finn though. Will you not, Althea?"

She paused in folding his tunics and forced herself not to cry. She wasn't sure if she would miss him and it made her heart ached with guilt. He was one of the few people who did not view her as a complete monster. Unlike Elijah, Rebekah, Klaus and Kol, she had been able to control herself better. Finn claimed her goodness was the only thing that had come with her into the next life, but he still held the belief that they were all abominations that did not deserve to live. Fear of his shaming had kept her in check for a long time and she couldn't help that she felt relief that he would be daggered for some time. The blow out fights that Klaus and Finn engaged in would be over and she could feel relief that there would be little fighting.

"Of course," she lied guiltily. "I would miss anyone if they left us."

She quickly folded the last of his tunics and closed the lid of the trunk. Elijah could finish his own packing because if she had to spend another moment in his presence she would not hold herself responsible for throwing herself at him. She would behave as badly as Rebekah had with Alexander and she wouldn't care. Closing her eyes, she could feel his lips against hers and she could still smell the lemon scented soap that he used. His body had been pressed against hers and she could still feel his skin against hers. Her finger tips still tingled as she thought of the sensation. He was sitting too close to her and he reached out to grab her hand before she could stand up.

"Would you miss me?" he asked her softly.

His question was not what she wanted to hear because she hated the answer she would have to give. Opening her eyes and staring down at the strong hand that gently held her wrist, she felt her whole body growing warm at the thought of his bronzed hands touching her in other places. Her veil fell and she was grateful that it shielded her away from him. Her gratitude did not last as he brushed it away and caressed her neck. She turned her head towards his touch and stared into his dark, stormy eyes.

"Is not a kiss enough to tell you how much I would miss you Elijah? Must you torture words from my lips as well?" she whispered to him as a tear fell down her cheek. He let go of her wrist and brushed the lone tear away. The wind blew her veil back against her and she could feel the caress of the sheer material against her skin. Elijah leaned towards her and she felt her heart jump in her chest. Just as she thought he would kiss her again, the door was thrown open and banged against the wall. Elijah pulled away from her as Klaus stalked in and stared at them with visible frustration on his face.

"I was thinking we could travel north," he announced. "I've always been fascinated by the Germans even the Scandinavians sound captivating. I have arranged for transportation north and it will leave tomorrow morning."


	3. 1359 AD

**Chapter Three: 1359 A.D.**

"… _No masters or kings when the ritual begins_ _  
_ _There is no sweeter innocence than our gentle sin_ _  
_ _In the madness and toil of that sad earthly scene_ _  
_ _Only then I am human_ _  
_ _Only then I am clean_ _  
_ _Oh, Oh Amen. Amen. Amen…"_

 _~ "Take Me to Church" - Hozier_ _  
_

 _Western Alps_

 _May 1359…_

 _May 25_

 _We have done our best to stay out of the attention of others as we've settled near Lake Geneva. Selling the story of being wealthy, respectable travelers has not been difficult. Althea is very good at playing a caring, devoted hostess and her generosity to the local community has endeared them over to us as a family. Even Klaus and Rebekah have become careful about maintaining our respectability and understand the risk of exposing ourselves. Maintaining the façade of being a normal family is our only chance at keeping safe from Mikael. From what my contacts tell me, he is in the same mountain range as us. He is looking for Klaus and I know that my father will not stop hunting Klaus until he has destroyed my brother._

 _Pride was my father's greatest weakness in life and vampirism has only heightened his emotions and character defects. He believes that Klaus is an abomination, but my brother cannot help what he is. The only person who is to blame is my mother. She is the one who strayed from my father. Klaus should not bear the sins of his father, but it is my mother who should shoulder the consequences for what has happened. My brother could not prevent his creation nor his birth and I do not regret his existence for a heartbeat, but I do not believe that he should be punished for my mother's actions._

 _If only she were alive, I hope that she could see the monster my father has become. This is not the man that was my sire. The man has become obsessed with destroy the little family we have created out of a situation that we did not want. Not one of us asked for an immortal life, but my parents made the decision believing they were protecting us. I have been robbed of the chance of ever understanding why they did such a thing, but I cannot help the resentment I feel towards my mother and father at some moments…_

Elijah stared out the window of the stately castle the Mikaelson family was living in. The glass distorted the objects outside, but he could see Althea walking towards the house. Setting down his quill and closing the ink pot, he closed his journal and hid it away in a drawer. Standing, he walked out of the room and down the passageway. He arrived outside just as Althea was on the first step of the stairs.

"Would you walk with me?" he asked her as he descended the steps and offered her his arm. Hesitating only a moment, Althea gently let her hand settle into the crook of his elbow. He led them on towards the path that led to a lake on the far side of the estate's park. They walked on slowly in silence as the presence of nature soothed Elijah somewhat. The castle they were staying in was owned by one of the wealthiest families in the area and it offered them many comforts both indoors and outdoors while the family was off on a trip to a remote part of Scotland for the next few years. Klaus had compelled them and most of the surrounding towns and villages believed that they were distant relations from Denmark that were managing the house and estate business while the owners were away.

Their new position was due to the whispers had begun again of the vampire who hunted vampires wondering throughout Europe. Elijah was sure that it was Mikael looking for Klaus and he planned to hide in the mountains for as long as they possibly could to avoid detection from Mikael. Maintaining the façade that they were Lord and Lady Mikaelson was easy and even Rebekah and Klaus played the parts of Lady Rebekah and Lord Niklaus well enough that the local gentry had not a problem in believing that they were distant nobility traveled from Denmark.

In truth, Elijah had grown to care for the castle and the grounds that served to be their present home. There was a natural beauty about the castle that even Klaus could not deny. He had seen his brother painting the mountains from one of the many sitting rooms in the afternoon light and Rebekah had taken to wondering the countryside for hours on end with her maid to simply enjoy the scenery. Lake Geneva was not far from them and Elijah hoped to show Althea the local attractions the town of Geneva had to offer. She had grown into a great lover of the arts and supported them whenever she could. The thirst for knowledge that she'd had in Italy all those years ago had never diminished and though many frowned on educating her, Elijah always managed to secure her at least a few masters of different studies no matter what region they were in. He sometimes wished that Rebekah expressed such desires, but his sister's enjoyment leaned more towards killing, sexing and drinking the blood of men. Elijah was sure that she'd learned such behavior from Klaus, but he could not change Rebekah, he could only set a good example for her of how she could lead her life and Althea was a good role model for the woman as well.

Despite everyone's flaws, being in the mountains provided them some safety and Elijah was more than comfortable being there for however long it took Mikael to move on. For once, Rebekah and Klaus were showing some restraint in killing their innocent victims and they understood that Mikael was close by. Elijah would not delude himself into believing that their change of heart was because they wished to be better people. No, their change in behavior was due to their not wishing to be discovered by Mikael and killed for being the abominations their father believed them to be. Still, the thought that the threat of Mikael was the only thing preventing his siblings from killing disconcerted Elijah. He vaguely listened to Althea as she chatted on about the lovely weather they were currently experiencing in the valley and the local ladies she was going to socialize with the next afternoon. She continued on about the charitable activities that she would be participating in during the summer and Elijah nodded accordingly.

Their goal about the local populous was to seem as harmless and as human-like as possible in case Mikael passed through the area. They had introduced themselves as the Mikaelson family from the Hovedstanden region of Denmark and many doors were opened to them. Klaus charmed the locals as Lord Niklaus, the younger brother who was a struggling painter as Rebekah played the part of maidenly sister in search of a good husband well. Elijah played his part of dutiful brother and husband as Althea played the part of devoted wife and sister who believed in all charitable causes. Like Klaus, she had charmed the local women and the never ending stream of invitations that were sent to them was proof of her accomplishments.

Ever watchful of Mikael's movements, Elijah had several spies watching their father's movements from a far in case he journeyed too close to them. Although Mikael was closer to Greece, Elijah was not foolish enough to let his guard down. Just a hint of something would send Mikael off and he would not rest until he found them and destroyed Klaus and all of them for aiding their brother. Just a faint whisper would be enough and Elijah was more than willing to acknowledge that he was becoming just as paranoid as Klaus about Mikael finding them.

"And that is when I killed him and drained his body of blood," Althea proclaimed as she looked around her in delight. "He was quite delicious."

Elijah stopped and looked at her critically, "What did you do? Who did you kill?"

"No one," Althea responded smartly. "You, however, asked me to walk with you and you have been a terrible companion. I've spoken on and on for at least ten minutes holding my own conversation while you have said nothing and have nodded at all the wrong moments."

She slipped her hand from his arm and continued down the path on her own. He watched step onto the stone veranda that was not far from him. The veranda was beautiful and the scene it presented was stunning. Snow topped mountains overlooked the lake and the green, rolling hills were such a rich shade, that Elijah wondered sometimes if he was in a dream. It seemed impossible that such beauty would exist. A single stone bench sat upon the spacious veranda and a cherry blossom trees shaded the area. He followed her as she stood still in near the bench and stared at him expectantly.

"I have known you long enough to know when something is troubling you," Althea spoke pointedly. "Will you not tell me what I have done that upsets you?"

"You think you have done something?" Elijah asked with a raised brow.

"Why are we here if not for you to chastise me properly? If you are looking for pleasurable conversation I am sure that Klaus could help you find what you seek. He does help you find everything else that you need," Althea observed. "I am not as blind as Klaus believes."

Elijah nearly winced from her words. They had never agreed to faithfulness in each other. He did not fail her in the ways that matter either. Althea wanted for nothing and she claimed to be happy with what she had. He just didn't know how her simple statements could cause such guilt inside him. It was true, Klaus did little to hide their dalliances from Rebekah and Althea, but he had always made the effort to be discrete. Vowing to himself that he would not let such knowledge ever again reach Althea's ears, Elijah clasped his hands and paced in front of her as she sank gracefully onto the stone bench.

He paced for several minutes until Althea reached out and grabbed his arm. She looked at him tiredly and shook her head as she let go.

"Will you not simply sit down and tell me your troubles? I am a good listener and together we can solve whatever it is that plagues you, Elijah," she said gently. "Please, stop pacing and sit. You'll give me a headache soon."

Pausing, Elijah looked at her gentle smile and quickly sat down. In all the time that they had been married, Althea had truly only asked for five things. She'd asked for him not to physically hurt her or abandon her. She'd asked him that they treat each other with respect and kindness. She'd asked him for his blessing and permission to learn and she'd asked him only to help her find the masters she'd required to learn all that she could. Never had she asked to become his confidant and she had not solicited for the position, but just hearing her soft voice and soothing tone, Elijah wondered why he had not gone to speak to her before on matters. Althea was level headed and sensible and she was right. Klaus had said on more than one occasion that Althea was a good listener. She turned towards him slightly and he could see the beauty that she had long since become. Her dark blue velvet dress with trumpet sleeves was the height of fashion. The only thing that Althea refused to wear while at the castle was the white wimple veil that was meant to cover not only the head and neck, but most of the body. Instead, her golden locks fell freely down her back and a stunningly embroidered headband with gems was placed on her head instead. The headband held back her hair and covered her ears, but it matched beautiful with her dress.

"What is wrong?" she asked again. "Will you not tell me?"

"I fear for Rebekah and Klaus' humanity," Elijah admitted after a few moments of silence. "I fear that they are…changing in ways and we will not be able to get them back to who they are. Mikael is so close and that is the only reason that they are not engaging in the behavior that they usually do. I suppose I should be grateful, but I am haunted by the truth that my brother and sister's humanity is all but spent. "

"They have changed," Althea acknowledged quietly. "They continue to change."

"Don't agree with me," Elijah said calmly. "Tell me that they haven't changed. Tell me that they are still the people I remember them to be."

The skirt of the dark blue dress she wore blew gently as the wind picked up. The blossoms from the cherry trees nearby clung to the wind and she caught some of the petals in her hand.

"Why do you ask me about Klaus and Rebekah's humanity?" she asked quietly as she looked out at the lake. "Is it because am I your wife? Or do you simply require a person to confirm your fears, Elijah?"

"I think of you as the dearest friend I shall ever have," he replied without thinking as a smile came to her face. Althea stood and walked to the elegantly craved railing. Raising her hand, she opened her fingers and let the wind reclaim the petals that she'd taken. Looking out at the picturesque lake and the surrounding trees, she shook her head and turned back to him.

"We were always going to lose our humanity," she told him softly before turning to look back at the lake. "Those who live and die…they have the gift of hope for the next life, Elijah. They believe that they are able to redeem themselves before they move on. We do not have that gift when it comes to dying and moving on. We cannot die and therefore, we have nothing to live for and nothing to expect on the other side. You can take me to the river to pray as often as you want, but it does not bring me any closer to the afterlife or the people who have gone on and found peace. I believe that Niklaus and Rebekah know that truth and choose to bury their loneliness and heartache in not being able to move on. Why try and be good when there is no reward?"

"You believe that is their excuse for the cruelty they inflict on others?" Elijah demanded fiercely. "Can we not save them?"

"You cannot save a dying man, if he does not wish to be saved," Althea smiled sadly at him. "You cannot save Klaus and Rebekah because they are living this life how they choose, Elijah. We must simply accept that they are losing their humanity and remember them with joy. If they do wish to change their ways…they will come to you Elijah and you will welcome them with open arms for no matter what atrocities they commit, Rebekah and Klaus love you as you love them. We do not decide our families. We can only love them unconditionally as we are meant to."

"I do not want a family legacy that it will become if we continue down this path. Klaus and Rebekah's humanity must be—"

"Their humanity is gone as ours is fading," Althea said sharply.

Elijah stood up and began pacing again as Althea looked at him. She had tears in her eyes as she shook her head. She moved to sit back down on the bench and folded her hands in her lap. He paced for nearly an hour until he could no longer stand to do it and sat back down beside her in frustration. She did not speak for a few minutes before she cleared her throat.

"Their humanity is gone, Elijah," she continued. "I'm sorry to break your heart. It is the last thing that I would ever want to do. Hurting you not something I take any pleasure in, but you must know that Klaus and Rebekah's humanity is gone and it's not coming back. I know that you know that you came to me because deep in your heart…you know that I would never lie to you about such a thing. Elijah…with every action we take…every life we take to live…a price is paid and that price costs us our very souls. We are still ourselves, but our souls are gone and our hearts become blackened with every life we take. I wonder sometimes if what Finn told me was true."

"What did Finn tell you?" Elijah asked as he turned towards her on the bench. He rested his elbows on his knees and watched her carefully. The skirts of her dress brushed against him and the same scent of lavender that she'd always wore enveloped his senses. She smiled tearfully at him for a moment as she shook her head.

"Finn spoke of losing ourselves," she told him quietly. "He said that a man can only live with his sins for a lifetime before they become too much and he begins to run from himself. How many lifetimes have we lived, Elijah? No one was ever meant to live this long and perhaps you have to forgive Klaus and Rebekah for losing their humanity. It may be the only way they can continue on living and not feeling the crushing weight of all their sins and guilt pressing down on them. It will crush us in the end…our humanity, our greatest gift, Elijah, and it is a most evil curse."

"And you?" he asked as he reached for her hand and ran his fingertips over her smooth skin. "Will you always keep your humanity and bravery? It seems as if they are your greatest gifts."

"Even my humanity will fade," Althea whispered to him. "We can hope to be good, Elijah. I can hope that I do some good in this existence, but even I am not immune to what I have done and the lives that I have taken. We will both lose that which makes us human someday. It is not possible to stop such a thing. It happens little by little each day. Some of us will lose it faster and Klaus and Rebekah are closer to losing it than you and I are. That is the truth, Elijah. That is the answer to the problem which troubles you."

Raising the palm of her hand, Elijah pressed his lips to her palm. Her skin was so soft and he wanted to know if her blood tasted as sweet as the nectar of her lips. It had been such a long time since he'd pressed his lips to hers. The kiss he had shared with her in Italy haunted his nights and dreams. She had ruined kisses for him because no woman's lips tasted as sweet and as wonderful as hers.

"I am glad that you are my friend, Elijah," she smiled to him. "It means quite a lot to me that you consider me your friend."

Elijah smiled back at her warmly. He hoped that she could not see his frustration because the last thing he wanted to be was just her friend. No, Elijah would be far happier if he was in her bed and kissing her sweet lips. Holding her hand in his, he watched as she watched the family of ducks swimming in the lake. She looked so happy and content that he could not bring himself to ask her for than what she willing to give him. In that moment, she was letting him have her hand and he would content himself with just holding her for now.

* * *

 _September 14, 1359…_

Seated in the box with Althea, Elijah listened to the priest deliver his message as he watched the people. He held the small prayer book in his hands for Althea, but his failure to turn the pages at the appropriate times had led to him feeling her sharp pinches.

Rebekah and Klaus teased Althea's fascination with attending church, but Elijah could see how it benefited them. He didn't believe that they were going to any happy afterlife. No, he was very sure that they were going to hell. However, going to church made them seem more…normal. It gave them the opportunity to know their neighbors of the same social standing, and it gave them a better chance at blending in away from Mikael.

The mass ended and Elijah closed the prayer book. He stood feeling internal relief as Althea stood as well. Another week had passed and they had not been found by Mikael. He was not sure when he began counting Mass to Mass as one accomplished week, but he had. Another week they had been safe and assisting Althea down from their box, he tucked her delicate gloved hand into the crook of his elbow. Their status as nobles allowed them to leave the church first and stepping into the sunshine, Elijah looked over the landscape around him. He was beginning to become as paranoid as Klaus, but with good reason. Every time he stepped out of the church, he wondered if Mikael would reveal himself and kill them in cold blood on the very steps of the holy house. Carriages for the nobility were lined up awaiting their masters and spotting theirs, Elijah gently steered Althea towards it.

"Lord Mikaelson, Lady Mikaelson! It is lovely to see you both!"

Hearing the familiar jovial voice, Elijah stopped as both he and Althea turned to greet Sir Hedwig Archer. A shorter man with a stocky built and a banished Englishman, Sir Hedwig was a charming man. Older with silver hair and a full beard, the man reminded Elijah of a village elder from long ago from their old lives.

"Sir Hedwig," he said as he nodded to the man. "It's wonderful to see you as always. Did you enjoy mass?"

"As I always do!" Sir Hedwig chuckled, "I did notice that you had become quite distracted. Did Lady Mikaelson bring you to right, milord?"

"Naturally," Elijah replied as he let his hand rest of Althea's hand in the crook of his elbow. "She makes certain that my soul is churched every week."

"Good woman!" Sir Hedwig barked a laugh and began to walk with them. Elijah let him lead the way to the line of carriages that sat waiting. While not the wealthiest in the town, Sir Hedwig's age and wisdom commanded a certain amount of respect. He was revered as being a good judge of character and a renowned gossip. To Elijah, gaining the man's trust had been of paramount importance when they had first arrived. Now that they had it, keeping close to Sir Hedwig would ensure their continued good standing in the community.

"Shall I take you back?" Sir Hedwig asked. "Your driver can follow mine."

"Of course," Elijah said as he signaled to his driver to follow, "I shall be glad for your company. Lady Mikaelson tells me I have been quite sour company of late."

Elijah felt another sharp pinch in his side as he smiled teasingly down at her. Sir Hedwig easily climbed up into the carriage before Elijah handed Althea up. She settled herself in the center of the bench facing Sir Hedwig. Climbing up as well, Elijah sat next to Sir Hedwig and looked at Althea. Her dark dress was finely made, and the silk veil she was wearing was pinned into her hair and the silver circlet she wore was the latest style from Italy. She was a strikingly beautiful woman and he knew that many besides himself admired such beauty.

"I had not known if you had heard the news, my lord," Sir Hedwig began as the carriage began to move. "I've had a letter from a cousin of mine in the south of France. He owns quite a bit of land there and was knighted some time ago by the king. Henri's letter quite informative on many subjects and I hadn't known if you'd heard any news on the topics from your relations up north."

"I am afraid that I do not know what news it is you speak of," Elijah pronounced as he watched Althea's body move in time with the sway of the carriage. "We have had letters from our relations, but nothing of interest. My cousin has a baby son and that was the only piece of news I received this last week."

"The witch hunts, milord! That is the news I speak of! Have you not heard of them?"

"Mass hysteria…that is all they are Sir Hedwig," Elijah said dismissively.

"Quite," the man agreed. "The news which I speak of is quite interesting. The King of France has demanded along with the Pope that the landowners must pay for the trial and execution of any witches. The whole thing has become a hysterical fiasco down in the south and is apparently spreading like a fire towards Spain and Italy."

"How many witches have they tried?" Elijah asked with some amount of fascination.

He wondered if the Brotherhood of the Five had anything to do with the outbreak of witch panic. It would be certainly clever of them to use witches as a ruse to drive Vampires out of hiding. Though, he very much doubted that any of the persons being executed were actual witches. Witches were not stupid enough to practice anything in front of the masses. His own mother had taught them how to be careful about using magic. A witch could only reveal him or herself when they decided and not before then. He could not imagine many witches revealing themselves in the south of France if witch hunts were actual taking place.

"On my cousin's property? They've burned two hundred people alive," Sir Hedwig said eagerly. "All were claimed to be witches that had to be destroyed. I believe there were a hundred and fifty women and fifty men."

"Too many ladies," Althea spoke up as she turned to look at them both. "What should happen to your cousin's property when all the ladies have been burned alive? Who will the men marry then? I fear you will see a sharp decline in France's population should they continue on as they are."

"Quite right, my lady," Sir Hedwig chuckled. "I cannot say, but my cousin has said that he estimates the whole of France has burned seventy thousand souls in the last summer."

"God rest their souls," Elijah responded as was expected. "Will they try more for the crime? Surely seventy thousand people is enough to scare others into not practicing such dark arts."

"It's become quite a hysterical outbreak," Sir Hedwig continued, "I had planned to visit my cousin, but I do not wish to be a part of such a spectacle nor anywhere near the sight of burning flesh."

The conversation ended there and Sir Hedwig made small talk the rest of the way to the Mikaelson family home. Once there, Elijah and Althea disembarked the carriage and made plans to dine with Sir Hedwig later in the week. As the carriage pulled away, Althea turned and looked at him. A worried shadow appeared in her eyes as she shook her head.

"Mikael must be inciting these witch hunts," she told him calmly. "It must be him, Elijah. He has to know we are hiding somewhere between Spain and Italy in the south. He's not foolish. We should leave now while we still have a chance."

"I disagree," he said as he ran his fingertips down the spine of the leather prayer book. "Moving now would be premature."

"It would be the right move," Althea snapped back. "You are playing a very dangerous game of chess with him and it could cost us everything!"

"I am not going to endanger what we have here over a silly little hunch you have over Mikael starting these atrocious witch hunts," Elijah hissed. "I have enough problems to deal with without your hysteria as well."

He regretted the words as quickly as they tumbled from his mouth. Rarely was Althea ever wrong and a witch hunt did seem entirely characteristic of Mikael. She narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before she turned away without a word. Letting her go, Elijah ran his hand through his hair. Stalking off, he found himself in great need of destroying something with his sword. Seeing Klaus down by the stables, Elijah decided in that moment that besting Klaus at something or beating his younger brother with his sword would suit him just fine.

* * *

 _Three Days Later…_

 _September 17, 1359…_

The eulogy for Lady Desmond was a long, painful affair. Not because the woman had been well known, Elijah reflected, but because the mass for her funeral was so tedious and miserable. He wondered how many times the priest had mentioned the word 'death' since he'd begun preaching. The sad affair finally came to a close with Lady Desmond being laid in her family's crypt next to Lord Desmond.

Walking up the familiar path back to the church where most of the ladies waited, Elijah knew deep down that he had to apologize for his behavior since he'd shared words with Althea. Plenty of people would call him progressive for thinking that he owed Althea anything. The simple truth was that he did value Althea's opinions and ideas. He valued what she was, the virtues and the vices. Elijah couldn't push aside the knowledge that she was frightened by Mikael. He could easily understand that given her abusive father and the man's temper. His own father had frightened her to the point where he doubted that Althea even spoke to the man while they'd been mortals. Of all his failed promises and vows, Elijah had not broken the most important one. She had only ever asked him for a few things. One of the few things that she'd begged him never to do was to punish her. She'd begged him never to hurt her in all the ways Erik had.

Seeing Althea standing silently on the steps with the other women, he paused until all the members of the congregation had left. Taking Althea by the arm and pulling her into the chapel, they walked down a side hallway until he stopped and turned to look at her. She looked at him wearily and clasped her hands before her. The black veil she wore obstructed his view of her face. Lifting, Elijah pulled the sheer fabric over her head to reveal her blue eyes and the beautiful lips that dared him to kiss her. Her high collared dress hid her swan like neck, but it did not deter her beauty.

"Why are we here?" Althea asked softly, "Surely, we can go home now?"

Elijah paced for a moment before turning to her, "You are right and I am sorry for dismissing your fears."

A surprised look came over Althea's face as she rested back against the stone wall of the church. She did not say anything and Elijah let out a long, deep sigh before continuing.

"You are right about Mikael. I would not be surprised if he did start the witch hysteria, but we cannot live our lives in fear of him showing up everywhere we go. We have a decent life here Althea…we have a place here and we cannot abandon it without looking suspicious. That will draw gossip and Mikael will find us through gossip again and again. We have every reason to fear Mikael, but we cannot let that fear control our lives. I will not let you live in such fear. Tell me what I must do to put it to bed."

His passionate words were silenced by her fingertip against his lips. Her soft blue eyes searched his face and she nodded. Turning away from him, Althea hugged herself. Elijah moved be closer to her, but a figure caught his eye outside. Taking a step closer, Elijah felt fear in his heart unlike anything he'd ever experienced. They'd spent centuries running from their father, but they'd never come face to face with Mikael and yet, here he was.

"Oh, no," Althea breathed so softly he barely heard her. "We have to go, Elijah."

"There is only one exit," he told her. Pulling Althea, Elijah ducked behind a sculpture of the Virgin Mary as the door to the church creaked open. He pulled the skirt of her dress close and for the first time in his life, Elijah prayed. He prayed to whatever deity existed out in the universe that Mikael would not find them. If it came to it, he knew that he would distract Mikael and force Althea to run. There was no other option should the worst happen. Pressing her to the wall, he could feel her breath against his neck as she pressed herself to him. The small hiding spot could barely fit them both and with each step, Elijah felt Althea's hands fist his tunic tighter.

From his vantage point, Elijah could see Mikael, but Mikael could not see him. He waited as he rested his hand comfortingly on the back of Althea's head and an arm wrapped around her slim waist. He waited for Mikael to find them and kill them for helping Klaus. Mikael would kill them for simply not agreeing that Klaus was not an abomination. Elijah shuttered to think what Mikael would do to Klaus once he found him. There was no way that Mikael would let Klaus die easily. No, Elijah was sure that whatever end Mikael had in store for Klaus, it was painful and that pain would be long and drawn out. The pain would be torturous and he did not doubt that Althea would suffer the same fate at Mikael's hands. His wife had grown to be Klaus' closest companion and her caring for Klaus was what would cost her dearly.

Watching, Elijah held still as Mikael paused only for a moment. His father looked right at the Virgin Mary statue before taking a step towards it. Feeling Althea's tense and frightened body against his, Elijah kissed the side of her head in what he thought would be their final goodbye before a voice called out.

"Can I help you?"

Elijah held onto her tightly so that she could not move and they both stopped breathing. He could hear Sir Hedwig's steps coming towards them, but it was clear he was addressing Mikael.

"I am looking for a party of four traveling through here," Mikael said calmly. "Two men and two women. They came here from Italy and would have been in residence sometime. They would have been quite…peculiarly to the people of this town. They more than likely introduced themselves as a family."

"There have not been any peculiar passersby's," Sir Hedwig stated, "No, I'm quite sure that I would have remembered your kind."

"My kind?" Mikael questioned menacingly as he took a step towards the elderly man.

"Vampire, I would know if there were vampires around these parts. I assure you that there hasn't been any in these parts."

"I am looking for the Mikaelson family."

"If you speak of Lord and Lady Mikaelson from Denmark, I assure you that they are not the family you seek. Lady Mikaelson was delivered of a son last week. I was there with Lord Mikaelson waiting for word about her condition and that of her child. I held that new born boy in my arms and believe me when I say that they are most assuredly human," Sir Hedwig said bitingly. "Leave town before I curse you, vampire."

Elijah watched as his father stared hard at Sir Hedwig and he wondered if Mikael would savagely kill the man. They stood engaged in silent contest of wills before Mikael broke eye contact and left the church. The wooden door slammed behind him. Elijah felt relief pump through his body as Althea's collapsed back against the Virgin Mary statue. For nearly a full two minutes, they waited until Sir Hedwig appeared before them.

"He is gone," Sir Hedwig said gravely. "I fear he will come back though. If you are to flee, it must be tonight. Gathering what you need and leave in my carriage. Go to England, I have an estate near the Duke of St. Albans. I will give you a letter of granting you admittance to the house until I die. Stay there and keep out of sight of Mikael. "

"How do you know about Mikael, Sir Hedwig?" Althea breathed as she still clung to him.

"All know about Mikael. He is _the_ vampire, who hunts vampires, my dear. All witches know of Esther's creation and I knew exactly what you were the moment you arrived in town. I feared that you would slaughter the locals, but you have not and have done great good in this community. That is why I could not let Mikael find you this day," Sir Hedwig told them as he smiled gently. "Go, children. To England, you must flee if you wish to live. I will plant false information that will send Mikael south towards Egypt."

Elijah watched Sir Hedwig for a moment before turning away with Althea. He realized now that they hadn't been found by Mikael because of Sir Hedwig. The old man's magic had been protecting them all along and he didn't even know it.


	4. 1492 AD

**Chapter Four: 1492 A.D.**

"… _The bed's getting cold and you're not here_ _  
_ _The future that we hold is so unclear_ _  
_ _But I'm not alive until you call_ _  
_ _And I'll bet the odds against it all_ _  
_ _Save your advice 'cause I won't hear_ _  
_ _You might me right but I don't care_ _  
_ _There's a million reasons why I should give you up_ _  
_ _But the heart wants what it wants_ _  
_ _The heart wants what it wants_ _…"_

~ "The Heart Wants What it Wants" – Selena Gomez

 _Southern, England_

 _September 17, 1492…_

Time passed like sand passing through a time piece and Althea knew that the life Esther had promised her centuries before was not what she imagined it would be like. It was not that Elijah abandoned her. No, he was attentive as he'd always been around her and made sure that she was always taken care of. Their kiss nearly three hundred years prior had brought them some degree of closeness. He considered her his 'dearest friend'. She could make him laugh or smile sometimes, but he still was guarded around her when it came to anything beyond friendship.

He gave the finest gems and gowns that any woman could want. All she had to do was ask for it and the material possession that she wanted was delivered to her without a second thought. No fault could be found in Elijah's ability to provide her and Rebekah with everything their hearts ever desired. Althea just wasn't sure when her heart had become his, but the truth was that she'd grown to love Elijah more than she could imagine. Over and over again, she'd tried to stop herself from caring about him more than a friend. She had tried and failed in trying not to love him.

There was one thing that she truly wanted from him and it was the one thing that she knew that she could never have. It was the one thing Elijah could never give her for as long as they existed together. She was painfully beginning to accept that his love was without of her reach. The hope that had burned alive in her chest since his kissing her in Italy was finally beginning to fade. He could offer companionship, but that was all. He could be her friend, but never her lover. Her role was fulfilled by other women who were more than willing to be in Elijah's bed.

It was no secret that her husband had his fair share of lovers while under the influence of Klaus. Her younger brother was always introducing Elijah to beautiful women and Althea was beginning to wonder just exactly how much pleasure Klaus received from the torment that she suffered inside. No one saw it, but he and she knew that Klaus was doing it for some twisted reason. She was no fool and she knew what went on when she was not around between the Mikaelson brothers and the women who caught their wondering eyes. Klaus had even compelled women to seduce Elijah and whether or not Elijah knew what had been done, he let it happen. It went unchecked and both brothers were taking less and less pains to hide their dalliances from her and Rebekah in the last decade. Even Rebekah had begun to take on her fair share of lovers. Since their coming to England, Rebekah had become more and more unrestrained. She hardly cared if Klaus and Elijah knew where she spent her night.

Only in the last months had Althea experienced pain so acute that it brought to surface human memories that she long thought gone. Klaus' recent target was a young Katerina Petrova. Dark and exotically beautiful, Katerina was the exact image of Tatia and it haunted Althea in ways she had never imagined possible. Memories that she long thought of as dead and gone were haunting her living days and dream filled nights. The nightmare of seeing Elijah making love with Tatia was becoming her living nightmare and she cursed herself for promising Esther that she'd never leave Elijah.

Since the truth about the curse had been reveal to them, Althea knew that Katerina was involved with breaking the curse that Klaus was under. She knew that he'd been hunting the doppelganger for years now. Her little joke of making sure that everyone was looking for the moon stone and doppelganger had turned into Klaus planting fake artifacts to make sure every vampire and werewolf was looking for the solution.

In the back of her mind, Althea had always known that she'd come face to face with the doppelganger. She just hadn't been prepared for coming face to face with the image of the one woman who had single handedly ruined any chance that she'd ever had to be happy with Elijah, mortal or otherwise. The taunts that Tatia had given her as a human played over and over again in her mind and Althea felt like the cornered young woman she'd been as human. She could feel the burn of humiliation as she'd overheard Tatia whisper to other women in the village how Elijah had never bedded his wife and preferred his lover more. Those whispered between women had haunted her and followed her to the doorstep. She had never even been able to prove herself and birth a child to stop Tatia's degrading rumors.

At the moment, Althea knew that Klaus already had the moonstone and the one thing he need was the Petrova girl to break the curse that the witches had put on him. While Althea did pity the girl, she was not willing to cross Klaus to rescue the unsuspecting girl. She'd seen what Klaus did to people who angered him and she'd seen what he'd done to the siblings who angered him. She had no wish to lie in a coffin with a dagger in her chest until Klaus felt that she'd served the right sentence for her transgression like Finn. Elijah had always assured her that Klaus would never do such a thing to her, but she didn't fully trust either brother to keep their word. How could she when both men had proved to be the source of her pain?

"It's sickening."

Turning from her position by her sitting room window, Althea smiled at the young woman who had spoken. Lady Mary was an attractive young woman. Raven black hair and emerald green eyes on a heart shaped face, the woman was extremely attractive. It was clear how Mary had gained the favor of the Duke of St. Albans. Young and vivacious, Mary was nearly twenty years younger than the duke, but it hadn't stopped the man from chasing the young woman and begging her to marry him.

"What is sickening?" Althea asked already knowing what the young woman would say as she reached for the goblet of wine near her on the small, elegantly carved wooden table.

Mary moved to stand next to Althea and looked over her shoulder at the garden below. Althea could hear Mary's heartbeat and it reminded her of just how hungry she was becoming. Taking a sip from her goblet of wine, Althea promised herself a meal soon. Ever since she'd laid eyes on Katerina, it had become difficult to eat. In every woman, she saw the face of Tatia and every man looked like Elijah. Taking another sip of wine, Althea held the goblet close to her as she looked out her sitting room window.

"You should hear the rumors I hear about her from the other women," Mary said with a cruelty that Althea could barely stomach. "They call her an eastern whore. Rumor has it that she left her home country because she birthed a bastard child. I don't know why Richard believes he must host her."

"He hosts her because Lord Niklaus likes her," Althea replied calmly as if speaking to a child. "Niklaus likes her and the duke wishes to please him. Therefore, he tolerates Madam Katerina."

Saying the girl's name felt like she was swallowing something unpleasant. Taking another sip of wine, Althea watched as Mary sat down next to her in the window seat.

"I do not know how you tolerate such a thing! Even Lord Mikaelson is enchanted with her and he was seen with Lady Claire!" Mary said with venom. "It's quite disgusting! If Lord Mikaelson takes lovers, why don't you? Surely, you are well within your rights as a married lady to have your own lovers."

"Be careful," Althea warned with a whisper as she set her goblet down. "A jealous woman can be a very ugly creature. I thought you were using the duke to secure a better position for your family and even a title for your brother and father. Do not let the duke see that little jealous streak of yours. I assure you that he will have other lovers besides you once you've married him. That jealously will cost you dearly and may even lead to your exile. No man likes a gossiping wife."

Moving away, Althea knew that if a rumor drove Katerina Petrova away, there would be no protection that Elijah could offer her and Rebekah from Klaus. Together, their job was to keep the rumors hushed so not to drive the Petrova girl away. Defending the doppelganger of the woman who had crushed her heart was a bitter pill to swallow and a taxing experience that Althea dearly wished was done and over with.

"Does it not bother you though?" Lady Mary questioned. "To see Lord Mikaelson with that woman? To see him with Lady Claire and others?"

"I am the one who hold that title of Lady Mikaelson. It is my heirs that are important," Althea lied and tried to force down any feelings that might bubble to the surface. "I have the one title they can never have and that is the worthless title of wife."

The words felt like a dagger through her own heart as she picked up the small piece of embroidery she'd been working on. There would never be any children between her and Elijah, nor any happiness from just loving each other. The nighttime stories she used to tell some of the girls in the village about the dashing heroes and their true loves were nothing but silly, stupid stories that filled each girl's heart with expectations that would be crushed someday. The stories were not reality and she'd always known that there was never a possibility of having the happy dream of Elijah's love and affection. It was not the reality she lived in, but it was the dream her dying heart yearned for and she could not suppress.

"I must make a confession to you," Lady Mary murmured softly. "I do not know who else to confess this too."

Her words caught Althea's attention and the vampire turned to look at her, "What is your…confession?"

"I am with child," Mary murmured softly as her hand drifted down to rest gently on her abdomen, "I know that I was hasty to judge Miss Petrova, but the duke and I are to be married in a few days and all will be right again. I have not told him yet, and it's been my secret this whole week."

Walking to her, Althea grabbed Mary's hand and smiled sadly at her companion.

"You should tell him your good news," Althea compelled Mary without thinking. "I am sure the duke will be joyful."

The bindings of her corset felt too tight and she didn't know what to do in that moment, but the heart in her chest was becoming a hole of agony. Mary slipped from the room with an extra spring in her step as Althea returned to the window seat. Torn between anguish and fury, Althea sank down onto the window seat and rested her forehead on the cool glass.

"You vowed this," she told herself. "You had the choice to say no to Esther and you said yes. You promised to never leave Elijah and you are the foolish woman who let yourself come to love him despite his every sign that he does not love you in return."

Looking up, she could see Elijah chasing the Petrova girl through the garden. Mary's words about finding a man to love her echoed through her ears and Althea nearly flinched. Her friend was sympathetic to a degree and even openly encouraged Althea to find her own lover over the past few weeks, but it was not something Althea could do. She had politely refused Mary's pointed advice and she'd tried her best to ignore what happened with Elijah, but Katerina Petrova was making her efforts to ignore what happened harder.

The smile he wore around Katerina Petrova wasn't the half, sometimes forced smile he'd given her throughout all the years she'd been with him. No, his smiles to Katerina were ones of true enjoyment and happiness. The pain rippling through her chest was far worse than any blade that could had been thrust into her at that very moment. Curling herself into the window seat, Althea watched with a gaping hole of misery inside her that would never fade away.

"I will never understand why you torture yourself so, sister. All you must do is turn away."

The sound of Klaus' sneering voice grated on Althea's nerves. She clenched her fists and nearly drew blood from the palms of her hands as her nails pressed into her skin. There was nothing she could say because Klaus was right. All she had to do was turn away and not watch what caused her so much pain, but Althea doubted that not seeing it would lessen her pain. Just knowing that Elijah was with other women caused pain that Althea doubted even Klaus had felt in his very long life. She doubted he could even comprehend the very pain she felt because she doubted the existence of his heart. It seemed everyday that the possibility of such an existence was less and less. The very fact that Klaus had no heart was what made him so much stronger than her.

"Maybe I simply chose to live my life with my eyes wide open," Althea whispered to him with rebellion as she turned to look at his bloodied appearance. "Don't you have a curse to break?"

"Oh, I do," Klaus told her with a sneering grin as he changed his shirt and righted his appearance. "Once I break the curse, the world is mine for the taking."

He left without another word and Althea rested her head on the wood paneled wall behind her. Below, she watched as Klaus approach Elijah and Katerina. They'd been sitting on a stone bench speaking together, but the moment Klaus appeared, Katerina's attention shifted.

"What the world would be without love, Klaus," she whispered brokenly. "I wish that I could experience the world how you do. No one ever causes your heart pain, but sadly, I cannot live the way you do for my heart is not my own. Elijah has possessed it for some time and I do not know if he will ever give it back to me."

Standing, Althea knew what she had to do.

* * *

"A vampire begging me for help," the witch, Magana, smiled knowingly. "Are you truly that lost, child?"

Althea looked down at her folded hands and set the cup of tea the witch had offered down.

"Can you help me or not?" she asked quietly as she looked at the witch. She knew that she came across as desperate, but Althea could not prevent it. Klaus was doing his ritual at midnight and because of her love for Elijah, she knew there was one thing that would keep the joyful smile on his face…

Helping Katerina staying alive was the greatest expression of love Althea could give him. The price of such actions no longer scared her. There was no hell on earth that Klaus could give her that was worse than the pain of knowing Elijah could never love her.

"My daughter is giving her life tonight to Klaus break this spell. Why should I help you?" Magana demanded as she poured more tea into her chipped teacup. Althea bit her tongue to prevent her from snapping out that she'd come two hours from the Duke of St. Alban's country house for the life of a girl that she disliked.

"I am sorry that your daughter has committed herself to Klaus' cause," Althea said carefully. "Not everyone has to die tonight."

"That's not why you came. Why are you really here? Did Elijah send you? Or did Klaus?"

Admitting what was happening would be painful and humiliating, but if it gave Elijah happiness…Althea knew she had to do it. Taking a deep breath that she did not need, Althea looked around the decaying cottage that she sat. Everything around her was old and falling apart, but she realized that she was far older than the material objects. She was weary of living and the chore it had become.

"I promised Elijah's mother, Esther, that I would never leave or abandon him," Althea began softly. "We had not even been married a year when she turned us into vampires. I agreed partly out of believing that Elijah and I could grow to care for each other once he was away from the woman, Tatia. I had seen him with her plenty of times, but I still believed that somehow, Elijah could grow to love me. I promised faithfully to Esther that I would be with Elijah. Why could I not have his love as well?"

"Love grows in its own time," Magana said softly, "Nature always finds away to being souls together."

"I have lived more lifetimes than anyone should, but one thing has remained constant," she told the witch as tears pricked the back of her eyes. "Elijah has always loved Tatia. I could never break the hold she has over him even in death. He considers me his friends, but I do not know when my heart became his possession. It has been in his and he does not know…I cannot give you a day, a year, or a time when it happened, but it did."

"You are not here for yourself, are you?"

"No," Althea said as a tears slipped down her cheeks. "Tatia's blood was the blood that bound the immortal blood. Katerina is the doppelganger that Klaus needs to break his curse and for the curse to work, Katerina must die. That is why I am here. Elijah loves Katerina because she Tatia reborn. She is his second chance and when he is with her…he smiles like he used to. His eyes fill with joy and I know that I cannot keep the promise I made to myself or the promise I made to Esther. He cannot love me even though he possesses my heart. Love is selfless and I must let him go because I love him enough to know that he deserves his own happiness. I wish for him to love someone as much as I love him. That is why I am here. I am not here because Klaus has asked me to come. I am only here to beg for the life of the young woman Elijah loves because I love Elijah."

Magana reached out and caressed Althea's cheek. The old woman smiled and revealed brown teeth before she stood. Althea watched the woman leave the main area of the cottage as more tears fell down her cheeks as she set her teacup down.

"Please," she begged softly. "Help him."

Minutes later, Magana returned with a small rosewood box and kneeled before Althea. She placed the box in Althea's lap and warmly caressed her cheeks again.

"When we do magic," Magana began softly. "It has a way of amplifying objects. Something changes in translation and some things are heightened in spells such as the immortal spell. It's meant to heighten senses and all the physical characteristics of life. Sometimes, it does more."

Brushing away another tear from Althea cheek Magana smiled sadly, "I can only imagine the remarkable woman you were as a human. I think that Esther would agree with me that you have fulfilled the very promise you made to her all those years ago. It takes great courage to come to another person and beg for the happiness of another. It takes great selflessness and willingness to push one's wishes and desires aside. All those things you possess, Althea. In this long life of yours, you've discovered the one secret that many cannot learn in the natural life they are given."

"What is that?" Althea asked tearfully.

"There is no greater gift on this earth nor nothing as powerful in this world and the world beyond than love. No spell can harness the power that love creates over the individual who loves. There is no spell that can match the power in the very truth of how far a person is willing go to save their love nor what they are willing to sacrifice protect the person they love," Magana spoke softly. "That is the secret that so many people never learn. People believe that love is a weakness that it has no place in the world or in magic. What they fail to realize is that the power of love is not a weakness. It's nature's gift to us. We are able to love and be loved. Love has brought men to their knees willingly! They are ready to willingly die for their loves without any second thought and that is something no spell can do. You are blessed, my child. To love someone so much that you are willing to endure the suffering and pain to ensure their happiness…you have discovered the very essence of magic in your heart. Magic can cause us both the most breathless and exhilarating feelings imaginable and the most horrific pain we will ever experience."

Looking down at the rosewood box, Althea closed her hands around the edges.

"This will resurrect Katerina," Magana continued, "A few drops are that is needed for the spell to work."

Nodding, Althea smiled tearfully at the old woman, "Thank you…for everything."

"Go child," Magana chuckled as she stood up. "You must still ride back to St. Albans."

Althea let Magana open the falling down door and stepped out into the late afternoon sun.

"I do not know how to thank you for this," she whispered. "How do I pay you?"

"It is my gift of compassion to you," Magana said as Althea's horse wondered closer. "Go before the light fades away. It is a full moon tonight and you will be safe inside the walls of St. Albans."

Tucking the rosewood box way, Althea mounted the horse and smiled down at Magana.

"If I do not see you again," she said calmly. "Know that I will never forget you."

Knowing it was time to go, Althea gave the horse a gentle nudge and Luna moved away. Up the sloping path that had led to Magana's cottage, she never looked back. Determination had filled her and Althea knew what she had to do. Tonight was the duke's birthday party and Klaus would use the opportunity to sneak Katerina away so that he could perform the ritual and break the curse.

She had only a single chance to make sure that Katerina received her gift of life. Entrusting it to be delivered by her maid was not an option. Katerina needed to know exactly what she was being given and how it worked. There was only one person who could make certain that the rosewood box and its contents in her saddle bag reached Katerina. Elijah would be the person that she would have to go to and it would mean confessing herself to him. It was not something she wanted to do. It would mean opening herself up to him and it didn't matter what she said, Althea would on her knees praying Elijah was merciful with her fragile heart. For over an hour, Althea let Luna guide them back to St. Albans as she tried to figure out when she'd fallen in love with the man who had inspired the imagined hero in the stories she'd once told the old girls in the village before sleep.

"When did you steal my heart, Elijah?" she whispered. "For how long has my heart been irretrievably yours?"

The warm breeze blew a curl from her forehead and the openness of the field called to her. A memory of being a child surfaced and she could feel her mother's hands caressing her shoulder and telling her exactly how ride the wild horses. Elsa had taught her how to speak to the horses and she could feel Finn's strong arms lifting her onto the horse's back and telling her to guide the horse with his mane. It was all Finn had told her before he'd slapped the horse's hindquarters and she had been propelled into a whole new world. Her cry of surprise had morphed into joyful laughter as she'd raced across the open field not far from their village.

Raising her hands, Althea undid the gold and pearl netting that had kept her curls tamed. Holding it in her hands, she stared at it for a moment before tossing it to the ground. With no thought, but experiencing the joy Finn and Elsa had given her that sunny afternoon, Althea gave Luna a swift kick and they were gone. Away from the cottage without looking back, they were flying across the wide open fields. The wind blowing in her hair, Althea imagined this is what the birds felt like as they flew high in sky. Letting go of the reigns, she held out her arms and let the sun warm her face and the wind caress her face.

In that single moment, she felt alive for the first time since she'd given up being human. Racing across the open space, she didn't care who saw her. She hadn't ridden recklessly since she'd been a child, sneaking away to ride the wild horses with Finn instead of attending to duties. With the wind blowing through her hair and feeling lighter than air, nothing could touch her in that moment. Neither sadness nor heartache could threaten the pure, childlike joy that pierced her lonely heart as she and her horse raced through the field.

St. Albans came into view and Althea closed her eyes letting the wind caress her skin once last time before grasping the reins and pulled Luna to slow. Staring at the grand stone house, she knew that what she had to do.

* * *

"You look utterly lovely," Elijah said with a soft smile as he pressed a kiss to her check later in the evening. Althea did her best not to flinch under his touch. It was not meant to be sincere rather his words were spoken because of Lady Mary Simmons. The young girl was sitting on the edge of Althea's bed and was waiting anxiously to show off the diamond that the duke had given her had given her in celebration of his bastard child.

"You look very handsome as well," she murmured as she struggled to put a bracelet on. Elijah's hands covered her and quickly helped her with the clasp. She looked up at him with a startled expression. Rarely did Elijah ever help her with any sort of buttons or clasps. That was her maid's job, but the girl was noticeably absent. In truth, it had been almost a hundred and fifty years since she'd felt his skin touch hers. The mere brush of his skin sent electrical currents humming through her body to her core.

"Lady Mary," Elijah said calmly as he still held Althea's wrist in his hand/ "Do you think that you could give Lady Mikaelson and myself a moment before we go down to the party?"

Mary excused herself and quickly left the room. As the door shut, Elijah let go of her wrist and she lifted up the small perfume bottle. Dabbing a small amount on the base of her throat, Althea could feel his eyes watching her for a moment before she stood and smoothed the nonexistent wrinkles out of the dark blue bodice of her dress. The lacings were tight and she felt as if she could barely breathe even though she had no reason to breathe. It was all a part of the act to look human.

"Is something troubling you, Elijah?" she asked as she clasped a diamond earring to her earlobe, "You look like something is weighing heavily on your mind."

"It is just this business with Klaus," Elijah began, but stopped as if he'd said too much. Watching him, Althea knew he'd given her the moment that she needed to tell him about the rosewood box.

"Klaus will do what he wants," Althea told him softly as she clasped the other diamond earring on. "He wants to break the hybrid curse and no force on earth is going to stop him. You know it. I know it and he knows it. If this trouble that is bothering you includes the Petrova girl…if your conscience is not clear on the matter then you should go to your confessor."

"Why do you think this has anything to do with the Petrova girl?" Elijah asked as he clasped his hands behind his back. "She is not your concern, but you must know that Klaus is in love with her and intends to use her for as sacrifice to undo the curse of the hybrid."

"And you?" Althea asked as she looked down at the skirts of her dress and tried to hide the tears that threatened to escape. "Do you love her?"

"I confess to possess feeling for the woman my brother intends to murder," Elijah admitted quietly. "She does remind me though of Tatia. Her face is a face I thought I would never gaze upon again. I have not found any beauty equal to her."

Althea had not heard anyone speak the name 'Tatia' in a long time and seeing the Petrova doppelganger would bring pure agony. She'd forced herself to hide for centuries…to continue living on with Elijah like she'd promised Esther. Elijah considered her a friend…nothing more. He had no idea how conflicted she felt being around him. He had no idea how deep her agony ran and how much it hurt. A part of her wondered just how long she could pretend that he didn't affect her. Standing, Althea went to the wardrobe and opened the doors. Taking out the rosewood box, she held it in her shaking hands before turning and going to him. Standing before him, she looked up into his dark eyes and she wondered if he could hear her heart breaking.

"I know that you do not care for me in anyway besides that of friendship," she murmured softly as she held the box tightly in her hands. "I am not a fool, Elijah. I know that your affections have always been placed elsewhere. Tatia was your love even after you were bound to me. I know this and still…I have let my affection bloom for you despite every attempt of my own to stop it. I made a promise to Esther before she changed us that I would never abandon you or give up on you. It was a promise made by a foolish young girl who thought that love could conquer anything. She believed that if you were away from Tatia that you could grow to love me as I have come to love you. I do not know how it happen, but you…you've stolen my heart, Elijah. Your heart is with Tatia and cannot be given away."

Tears fell from her cheeks and Elijah brushed them away as he searched her gaze, "I promised Esther that I would never leave you. It was before she changed us. I promised her and now I cannot break my word no matter how much I want to. Inside this box…it is your key to saving Katerina. Just a few drops will be enough. I have never had the chance to give you a gift from my heart, but please consider this that gift. I hope that you will find all the happiness in the world with Katerina. I know that she will pick you in the end for there is no man that I have ever met in the long years we have lived that is as good as you are."

"This will save Katerina?" he questioned in a surprised tone as he looked at her with hope in his eyes. He was so shocked at her discovery that he'd barely heard any other words that she'd uttered. Realizing this, Althea heard her heart shatter inside in her chest as she gave him the box.

"Yes," Althea told him as she looked away. "We should go or we will be late for the duke's birthday celebration."

Moving away, Althea looked at the broken woman standing before the mirror and pinched her cheeks to put color back into them. Smoothing the bodice of her dress, she turned away from the mirror before the tears that threatened to fall did. Staring at Elijah, she knew she'd done the right thing. He was never meant to be hers, no matter how much she wished it. The realization came with such pain that Althea thought she would collapse. Not being able to bear looking at the box for another moment, Althea moved to the door when he spoke her name. Weakly, she turned to look at him. In his dark eyes, she could see hope and gratitude. It was not what she wanted, but she was not destined to have anything that she wanted.

"Thank you for this," he told her softly as he went to the door and opened it. "Words cannot express my gratitude."

Hearing his words, the very self-control she was fighting to maintain slipped a little. She stepped into the sitting room that separated their bedrooms and walked quickly to the door that led to the hallway. A servant opened the door and bowed as she swept past him. Holding her head high, it was all Althea could do to stop herself from crying. She had told him that she loved him and he had not even heard her.

* * *

Elijah's behavior surprised her beyond all imagining. The moment they were announced into the grand ballroom, he never left her side except when she was asked to dance. If she had not known the reason behind his behavior, Althea would have let herself hope that he'd changed his way. Deep down, she knew that his behavior was not because he cared for her. No, he was being attentive as a way to show his gratitude at what she had done for Katerina.

She was not surprised when the moment Katerina entered the room, Elijah went to her. He whispered something into her ear as Klaus appeared at Althea's side.

"Oh, how this brings back a memory," Klaus drawled. "You standing with me as we watched Elijah with Tatia. I never expected us to relive such memories."

"Not today," Althea said softly so only he could hear her. "I beg you not to torment me today of all days, Niklaus."

"Of course," he agreed softly. "Tonight is the night that we break the curse and a new race shall be born."

Althea watched as Elijah gently took hold of Katerina's elbow and guided her away from the crowd. They slipped through a hidden door in the wood paneling and disappeared. Althea pressed her lips together and tried not to let the tears that threatened fall be revealed.

"I suppose that is my cue," Klaus drawled before he put his goblet of wine down on a nearby table before moving away from her. Left alone, Althea moved away from the crowded room. Slipping into a passageway, she rested her head back on the wall and tried to breathe evenly. Her body was a wash of emotions that she could barely understand or even describe what she was feeling. Moving further down the passage way, Althea told herself to breathe before she committed murder in the middle of the Duke of St. Alban's birthday celebration.

Just as she was almost to the door that led to the gardens, Althea smelt the coppery smell of blood. Pausing, she looked over her shoulder to see an open door with many male voices floating out.

"Damn it! Watch what the hell your doing!"

Peering into the room, Althea could see an older man standing with a cut on his hand and a servant apologizing profusely for what had happened. Her eyes darkened as she saw all red droplets fall from the man's hand to the floor. Seeing that the room filled with nearly twenty five or so men, Althea felt a fury growing inside her that had to be unleashed. Pushing the door open, Althea stepped into the room and silently closed the door behind her. Leaning against it, she turned the key in the lock and slipped it into the pocket of her skirts. Oh, she was so hungry and wanted nothing more than to forget about Elijah and any doppelganger.

"No women are allowed in the gaming rooms," the man closest to the door said. "Get out of here, girl!"

Ignoring him, Althea walked to the door where servant entered and left the room with wine goblets. Turning the key in the lock, she pocketed it and leaned back against the door. She smiled viciously as one of the men stood up angrily.

"What on earth do you think you're doing? Lord Huntington told you to leave you wench! No women are allowed in here!" he called. "Leave!"

In the blink of an eye, Althea was across the room and had the man pinned against the wall by his throat. She could hear the blood pounding in his veins and she was so hungry. Her eyes darkened and she could feel her fangs caressing the inside of her lip.

"Who said I was a woman?" she questioned with a smirk before violently biting into the man's neck. Chaos insured and no man could leave as screams of terror added to her thrill and Althea could hardly contain her blood lust.

* * *

Stepping into the darkness of the church, Althea gazed up into the painting of the Virgin Mary holding her child. It made her ache for her own mother's arms. How she would have given anything to feel Elsa holding her again. Moonlight shown through the rich color glass windows as reds, blues and greens reflected onto the stone floor. Elijah was gone with Klaus and Katerina and Althea was relieved to be away from him. His attentive behavior all night had suffocated her and she needed to be away from the twenty-five men she had just killed in her rage. Sinking down to the stone floor with her skirts fanned out around her, Althea looked up at the altar.

"I do not know why you created such things," she whispered. "My list of sins grows heavier each day and I know that I have no chance or redemption with you. I do not even have that chance with Elijah. Did you decide my fate even before my mother bore me?"

She could hear footsteps behind her and she felt her eyes darken again as she listened to the person's heartbeat. Not bothering to look over shoulder, Althea straightened her spine and wiped the dry blood from her mouth.

"Did they fill you up? You did after all kill all twenty-five of them."

Hearing a young woman's voice, Althea stood up and turned around to see the twin sister of the witch that Klaus was using to break his curse.

"If you were smart you would not have even approached a very hungry vampire," Althea told her menacingly as she took a step towards the girl.

"My name is Morgana and I wanted to speak with you about the ritual that Klaus seeks to perform," the young woman said. "I think that there might be a way to break the curse without my sister dying. The moonstone is what will break the curse. The moon stone and Petrova blood—"

"If you're trying to impress me, you're failing," Althea drawled as she stared out the window into the starry night. "They have found the Petrova doppelganger and she will have been used soon. Klaus will break the curse tonight. Nothing on earth is going to stop him. I don't know why you are bothering to tell me this."

"My sister has to die for that curse to break! You claim I cannot stop that from happening, but I don't believe you," Morgana cried angrily as she moved around Althea carefully. "I will have my revenge for her death if you won't listen. Klaus is supposed to be here, not you! I watched him slip away from the party! They were supposed to break the ritual below the church, but they are not here, are they?"

"You followed the wrong vampire," Althea told the girl calmly. "I don't know where Klaus is performing the ritual. He's changed his mind so many times that I've lost track of the exact location. If that's all you've come for, I'm sorry. I can't help you. However, I would advice that you leave me alone before I get hungry again. "

Bored with the conversation and wanting to clean herself up from the blood that was staining her skin and clothing, Althea walked towards the girl to leave. A few steps from Morgana, Althea walked into a barrier. Fear filled her as she tied to walk further, but she couldn't. Morgana moved around her and Althea couldn't touch her.

"She does not want to die!" Morgana protested as she moved to the altar. "I will not let her!"

"She came forward willingly," Althea defended calmly. "This is what she wants. I don't know what deal exists between her and Klaus. I don't generally make it a rule to get involved with my brother's business."

"Elizabeth does not know what she wants! She is young and has not come to know the world like I have and not like my mother has. Klaus was meant to be here! Not you! Katerina told me that you had gone back to your rooms!"

Hearing Morgana's words, Althea walked as far towards the altar as she could and kneeled. Nothing was going to penetrate the magical walls that Morgana had raised to keep her in. Unlike her sister, Morgana was fuelled by anger and rage. It radiated off the girl in waves and Althea watched her begin to prepare for a ritual of her own.

"What are you doing?" Althea demanded. "If you are that desperate to save your sister, you can still find her. I imagine that Klaus won't perform the ritual until midnight."

"You said yourself that Klaus won't let anything happen to his precious little ritual," Morgana spat as she gather her supplies. "I may not have the chance to save my sister according to you, but I will curse you for even existing with Klaus. Katerina was kind enough to tell me what was happening and gave me her blood. Her death and mine will prevent your curse from ever being broken."

Althea watched Morgana in dismay as candles were lit. She couldn't break through the magical barrier and was helpless to do anything to stop the young witch. Quickly, Morgana used the vial of blood to coat a feather. The bloody feather was lit on fire and the witch began to chant.

"Dues Inferno otiosum tibi gratiam invoco! Benedic, anima ejus! Maledictius, et cor ejus! Maledic ei! Maledic ei! Maledictinonem artes invicus! Sic fiat!"

"Stop it," Althea screamed. "Stop it! I have nothing to do with what is happening to your sister! Stop it!"

Morgana chanted the spell three times and outside, lighting lit up the sky as thunder echoed like a gunshot over and over again until the a gust of wind blew the candles that Morgana had lit out. Althea could hear her own heavy breathing as she tried to move from where Morgana trapped her. She could hear footsteps around her, but it was so dark that even with her heightened vision, Althea could not see a thing.

"Enjoy paying for the sins of your brother," Morgana whispered into the darkness. "I did not think it would, but the Curse of Ashes actually worked."

"What did you do to me?" Althea demanded angrily. "Tell me!"

The footsteps drew closer and the door to the church swung open. Turning around, Althea stopped when she heard the familiar voice floating through the darkened church. Light from outside poured into the church and illuminated the dark space.

"Lady Althea! There you are! Elijah and Klaus have been looking all over for you. I hope you didn't do anything because the Lord Niklaus is in an awfully foul mood," Mary said with a laugh. "Not even the duke can tease him into a good mood."

She watched saw Mary running towards her. Easily, the woman passed through the invisible barriers and reached for her. One touch of her hand to Mary's and the young woman's skin began turning grey as they both watched in a mix of confusion and horror.

"What's happening?" Mary asked weakly as the grey color spread over arms and up her neck. It covered her face and a second later, her skin crumbled and her dress fell as ash was spread over the church floor. Althea stared in horror at the ash before her very eyes. A scream echoed through the church that sounded foreign to even her own ears.

"No!" she cried. "No! No! No!"

Looking over her shoulder at Morgana, she felt wetness on her cheeks before she realized she was crying. Stumbling, Althea tried to go to Morgana, but the barrier prevented. Falling, Althea sat on the floor and reached out for the beautiful purple dress that Mary had been wearing as she screamed in horror again.

"Why? Why would you do that? She was to have a child! She had barely begun to live her life," she cried out.

In the back of her mind, she heard footsteps behind her and Klaus calling her name, but Althea couldn't take her eyes away from the dress as she held it in her hands. Ash stained the silk dress that only a few hours ago had been as beautiful as the person who had worn it. The person Althea had come to genuinely care for.

"What did you do?" she cried as she clung to the dress. "What did you do to me? Bring her back!"

Morgana simply smiled as Althea turned to see Klaus staring at her with the pile of ash as Rebekah looked startled. A howl of pain came from Althea as she looked at the ashes of her friend.

"What did you do to her?" Klaus demanded with fury as he tried to make his way through the barrier. The young witch laughed as she looked at the grief stricken Althea on the floor. Morgana moved to stand over Althea's crumpled form and smiled cruelly.

"It's amazing how a simple touch can change one's life. Her touch won't affect other vampires, I don't have that power, but if she touches any other life form besides a vampire…that person becomes ash under her skin. It's an old curse that I've given her. You touched my sister's life and ended it. Though this curse was meant for you, Klaus, I always intended at least one original would be cursed tonight."

"The ritual failed," Rebekah called out. "Your sister lives. Katerina is gone."

The smile fell from Morgana's face as she realized her mistake, "No, you were going to kill her tonight."

"Rebekah is right," Klaus said angrily. "She has not died. Reverse whatever magic you have done to Althea."

"No," Morgana said. "You will kill me anyway for what I've done. The truth is that I am the only one who can reverse the curse and you won't convince me to do what it is you want."

Without warning, Morgana took a blade out from her bodice and stabbed herself in the heart. Her eyes quickly became lifeless and Klaus roared with fury. The invisible barrier broke and he rushed forward to catch Morgana's lifeless body before it fell. He gave her a shake before he dropped the lifeless body of the witch down. Sensing someone else, Klaus looked up to see Elijah standing over Althea. Confusion was written over his face as he crouched down.

"Althea," Elijah spoke softly, but she did nothing. She stared at the pile of ash with unseeing eyes as she clutched the dress in her hands. Elijah reached out and gently touched her shoulder. Nothing happened to him after a moment and he tried to pry the dress from Althea's hands. Her attack was so swift and so brutal that Elijah was thrown back nearly twenty feet. Klaus darted to restrain her and he quickly snapped her neck to stop her from hurting anyone else.

"What do we do?" Rebekah asked softly as she watched Klaus gather Althea in his arms. "How will Althea feed? She has to touch…"

Neither Klaus nor Elijah said anything as both men moved to the door. Elijah slipped off his evening coat and covered Althea with it.

"Burn the church," Elijah told her as Klaus passed him, "We will have to make it look like both Lady Mary and Althea died."

Rebekah nodded as Elijah laid out the dress to mark where Mary would be laid in the fire. Moving the dress, he found the diamond necklace that the duke had given his bride to be. Leaving it, he was sure that the necklace would be the only thing that they found left of Lady Mary.

"I will get her gloves to make sure that no one gets killed," Rebekah murmured softly. "There must be someone who can help us."

Elijah said nothing.

* * *

 _Three Days Later…_

 _September 20, 1492…_

"There must be something you can do!" Klaus yelled angrily as he stood in the center of the decaying cottage, "It was your daughter that cast the curse! Take it back!"

Magana watched him calmly and shook her head. Rising slowly, she inched her way over to the fire and stroked it. Elijah watched her from rickety chair were he sat with Althea cradled in his arms. She had not returned to them since the night of Mary's death. All she had done was to stare at the stone walls of the small cottage that Elijah had installed her in with Rebekah while he and Klaus tied up loose ends with the duke and the massacre that had taken place in his gaming room during his birthday celebration. There were no leads on who had done the killing, but Elijah suspected that in a fit of anger, Althea was the culprit.

"I can't reverse the curse," Magana told them calmly. "From what you've described to me and what has happened, this is a curse that can only be reversed by the witch who cast it. The Curse of Ashes is an ancient curse that has not been used in centuries. Our coven made a pact not use ancient curse because they are not reversible and too many are used with black magic. It's a dark art that will consume and destroy the soul. I cannot break it and I am sorry."

"And if the witch who cast it is dead?" Rebekah demanded, "What then? Surely, this is reversible!"

"This curse is so powerful that it probably destroyed Morgana's soul. Nothing can be done because once the soul is destroyed…nothing can fix it and a soul must be intact to reverse a curse such as the Curse of Ashes," Magana whispered. "I'm sorry, but I cannot do anything to help you."

In his anger, Klaus smashed half the furniture as Magana watched on sadly. Elijah looked down at Althea in his arms. Wrapped in a cloak, she was pale and shaky. Three days without blood was weakening her and yet, there was no frenzied look in her eyes. In fact, there was no life in her eyes. It was if she had withdrawn her soul from her body and no one was within her.

"I will give you my blood into a goblet," Magana offered to him as she slit her wrist over the goblet. Not even the smell of blood conjured up any emotion in Althea's eyes. She gave it to him and Elijah held the goblet to Althea's lips. She barely parted her lips enough for the dark red liquid to flow into her mouth. After just one gulp, she closed her lips and Elijah put the goblet aside.

"The curse is meant to be used on humans," Magana explained. "It was used and when the person touched a piece of food such as an apple, the apple would turn to ashes. I have never heard of this curse being used on a supernatural being. I don't know what it will do to her, but she cannot die from it. There is only one thing that can kill a creature such as her and it is not a curse."

"I am so sorry, sister," Klaus said quietly as he knelled before Althea. "What should have been my curse is now yours. There is nothing that can be done to reverse the curse. The only one who could have reversed the curse was the witch who plunged a dagger into her heart. Forgive us for failing you."


	5. 1530 AD

**Chapter Five: 1530 A.D.**

"… _Say something, I'm giving up on you._ _  
_ _I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you._ _  
_ _Anywhere, I would've followed you._ _  
_ _Say something, I'm giving up on you..."_

~ "Say Something" – A Great Big World _  
_

 _Southern France_

 _March 18, 1530_

Elijah watched Althea as they walked down the lawns. She was pale and shaky. Clearly unwell, he had objected to her being outside, but she had insisted on coming out to watch the game of badminton that Klaus was engaged in with a local noble. He knew all symptoms she was experiencing were from not drinking enough blood.

Morgana's curse and Lady Mary's death had changed Althea and she was far more delicate than Elijah had ever thought possible. He still didn't know the extent to which the curse had worked all those years ago, but since then it seemed as if Althea never drank enough blood. Vampires were strong creatures, but they still needed to feed and rest like humans. Neither of which Althea did very well. The blood almost made her sick if she drank too much and Rebekah had reported plenty of times that Althea was just too weak to come downstairs.

He knew that she was still haunted by the vision of Lady Mary turning to a pile of ash in front of her as well. Elijah awoke to her screaming at least four times a week. He would go running down the hall to wake her up and she'd cry for hours afterwards alone in her room after she'd sent him away. During the day, she never acknowledged such a weakness. Her pride would not allow her and Elijah refused to push the subject. He did not know how much more she could take before breaking. It seemed it was all she could do to hold herself together.

Klaus had suggested using a dagger on her until they could find a cure, but Elijah had nearly ripped his brother's head off for such a suggestion. Daggering her would be the same as abandoning her and Elijah would not abandon her ever again. No, together he and Klaus had done as much research as possible about the Curse of Ashes. All they knew was that the curse was over a thousand years old and had been used on humans. Food would turn to ashes in their hands before they could eat it and eventually, the person died of hunger. Althea was the only known vampire or supernatural creature to carry the curse. The only thing that bound the curse was human blood. They had wondered if Morgana's use of Katerina's blood could reverse the curse. Their question had led to a dead end. Every powerful witch that they had spoken to had said the same thing. Katerina's blood had to be human blood for an attempt at reversing the curse. Katerina was now a vampire and her blood had been tainted. Even if they did manage to find a cure, her blood wouldn't work.

The situation was hopeless in both his and Klaus' eyes. Katerina was gone and the witch who had performed the curse was dead. There was no possible chance of resurrecting her or curing Katerina of her vampirism. More than anything, Elijah blamed himself for what had happened in England. If he had not gone after Katerina and Klaus, Althea would have never fallen prey to the witch who had cursed her. The trap had been meant for Klaus, but she'd become the victim instead when she'd come looking for them. Looking down at her gloved hand in the crook of his elbow, Elijah guided them to a bench not far from where Klaus was battling for the winning point. The sun was high in the sky and reflected off the snow. Despite the slight chill in the air, Althea still held on to her lace parasol shading her from the sun on the abnormally warm day. Taking it from her, Elijah held it up to shade them both.

"Thank you for not fighting me on this," she told him quietly after a few minutes. "I just needed to breathe good air."

"I believe that Klaus will be inviting the Marquis to dine with us," Elijah replied gently as he watched her carefully. "Will you join us tonight? The company and the food will help you to feel better. I am sure of it."

He watched her closely and knew from the forced smile on her face that she was about to decline him. He could see it in her eyes and nodded knowingly. He would never force to do something that she could or would not do. It was no longer in his nature to be uncaring towards any of her feelings.

"I am sorry and I would if I could," Althea told him softly. "I just don't have the strength to do it, Elijah."

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said as he raised the back of her hand to his lips. "I only want the best for you."

He pressed a kiss to her hand and held it in his as they watched Klaus best the Marquis again at the game they played. At the end of the match, they both politely clapped, but Althea turned towards him.

"I have something to confess to you," she said softly. "It's about someone we met in the village…I believe you know of him. His name is Herr Acker. We met him two days ago."

Elijah stiffed hearing the man's name. He and Klaus knew all about Herr Acker. The man was deranged and obsessed with the idea of catching witches. The German believed that it didn't matter who the woman was, any and all women were suspected witches. A trail of burning bodies had followed Acker from Nuremburg and there was no sign of the man stopping. Witch hunts had become sport across Europe and had quickly become a tool wielded by those looking for control of the masses. Even the Pope had begun supporting the atrocities.

Herr Acker had chosen the local village to be his next hunting ground. Elijah and Klaus had both been of the mind to keep Rebekah and Althea secluded on the estate they were currently living on. On occasion, Althea ventured out with Rebekah to go to the village for various activities.

"Was this when you went to the village with Niklaus?"

Elijah looked out at the game Niklaus played and silently congratulated himself on keeping his tone easy and light. Inside, he was absolutely furious that both Rebekah and Althea had come in contact with such scum. He felt a soft gloved hand cup his cheek. Turning into her hand, Elijah pressed a kiss to the palm of her lace glove and held it in place. Her touch was soothing and he felt the anger that had been inside him ebb away. He had never known another person whose touch could produce such an effect on him.

"Do not be angry with Niklaus," Althea whispered to him. "He does not know that he approached Rebekah and I. We were sitting in the carriage with the driver as our only guard. Many of the local persons stopped by to pay their respects, but Acker was…different. He made me feel…very uncomfortable, Elijah. He tried to intimidate Rebekah and she nearly snapped and killed him. If Niklaus had not stepped out of the merchants shop when he had…you would probably have had a very big blood bath do deal with. Niklaus did not see him, but Acker saw our brother, I am sure."

"You should have said something before," Elijah admonished gently. "Niklaus could have done something."

"It has long since passed and I did not have the energy to bring it up until now."

Squeezing her hand that cupped his cheek, he pressed a kiss to the palm of her hand. Holding it in his, Elijah brushed his thumb over her knuckles and brought her hand to sit on his thigh as he held it in his own.

"Is it true? Elijah? Are the rumors about him and the horrors that he inflicts on others true?" Althea demanded softly.

"You do not have to fear him," he promised her. "I will not allow anything to happen to you."

* * *

Closing the doors to her rooms, Althea fell back against the doors and took a gasping breath. Her side was burning with pain and she could barely think straight as she stumbled to her chamber. Falling down on the bed, she quickly undressed herself with shaking hands. Standing, she went to the mirror and stripped off her shift.

Undoing the bandage that had been wrapped around her narrow waist. Althea hissed with pain as she pulled the cloth back from her side. Bloody, she stared down at bite mark that refused to heal. It had only been a day, but she knew that the werewolf venom would be taking its next strike against her. She could already feel the fever and chills overtaking her body and she knew that next would be hallucinations and night terrors. Because of his mix, Klaus' blood was the only thing that could cure her, but Althea hoped and wondered if with her curse…the bite would kill her. The bite in her side burned and Althea hoped that the end would be near. One day of growing agony and she didn't know how much longer she could last. She'd asked her maid for blood and the girl had given it to her willingly. She'd barely gotten the first drink down when her stomach had revolted.

It hadn't been intentional. Getting the bite hadn't been in her cards, but she had forgotten that the full moon had been on the night she had slipped out of the house to go walking. The pack had hunted her down and she barely escaped with her life. She had not even told Elijah what she had done and she could already hear his angry words ringing in her ears. Walking in the dark had for a long time been a pleasurable pass time of hers, but she had wanted to go. Elijah had kept her locked inside the walls of the estate, fearing for her and Rebekah. Looking into the mirror, Althea knew that there was only one thing that would help her. Before she had died, Esther had given her many lessons how to heal the sick and dying. There was one herb that would help and did not require magic.

King's Cure…

She would have to find it tonight under the stars. Slipping out into the night wouldn't be difficult, but she would have to be careful. Something inside her said that Herr Acker had been up to something the day that he'd approached the carriage bearing the Mikaelson seal.

* * *

Leg crossed over knee, Elijah sat in the comfortable chair watching the fire closely. He had seen the dinner tray that had been sent up to Althea and it was discouraging and frustrating to have seen it come untouched. Klaus had even compelled the Marquis to slice his wrist for dinner and not even that had been enough to entice Althea into having something. The Marquis had been sent home and just as Elijah was seriously beginning to consider the need to force feed Althea, Rebekah swept into the library with her hands clasped in front of her.

"Did you speak with Althea?" Klaus demanded as he looked up from the chess game he was playing by himself. "Did she say anything about why she refused her dinner?"

"No," Rebekah said calmly. "I couldn't get her to open the door, but I did do some thinking upstairs and I've decided something."

"And what would that be, little sister?" Klaus taunted as he moved a piece on the board. "This should be good."

"I have decided to find a husband," she declared to him with her head held high. "I do not care what you say about it either."

Klaus barked a laugh as Elijah looked up from the flames. Rebekah's words had barely registered in his mind as he watched her carefully. She ignored Klaus and looked at him expectantly. There wasn't much that Elijah could tell her. For years now, Rebekah had become her own keeper and rarely heeded an advice that he or Klaus gave. She was stubborn and often on the edge of doing reckless things. Since Althea's accident, Rebekah had become more and more withdrawn from the family. It was as if the glue that had held them all together was breaking down and he couldn't figure out how to preserve the last bits of it.

"That is a very bad idea!" Klaus pronounced. "One of your worst ideas, in fact!"

Rebekah narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before taking the bait, "What do you mean by that, Niklaus?"

"As your most darling brother, I am trying to tell you what Elijah silence means. When it comes to husbands, they will always disappoint you," Klaus said as he calmly looked at the chess board. "Look at Elijah, for example. He is handsome, exceptionally wealthy, and a very good brother. He has many splendid qualities, but he is a rotten husband. Poor Althea has to put up with the man for an eternity with no hope of salvation. Even perfect Elijah has his fair share of flaws. I am positive that Althea could make you a very long list of all the flaws and problems with him as a husband. Give her enough time and she will give a list so long that it will span many centuries."

Hearing Klaus, Elijah was in agreement with his brother that Althea probably could come up with a very long list of his failings as a husband. She could probably start from the moment they became betrothed when he had ignored her for the month it had taken to make all the marriage arrangements. She could probably go on to call her actual wedding and wedding night a horrific nightmare and he would whole heartedly agree with. He had been so caught up in Tatia's manipulations that he had ruined what should have been a day of great enjoyment for her. Many women liked getting to be the bride and he could clearly remember Althea hating every moment of it.

"Niklaus is quite right," he said quietly. "I am not sure a husband is the cure if you're feeling lonely, Rebekah."

Glaring at both men, Rebekah swept away from the library with a furious gleam in her eyes. Elijah told himself that he'd remember to spend more time with his sister. He just had to figure out how to get Althea to eat. Leaning his head back and closing his eyes, Elijah wondered what else could be done to help the woman he'd come to care so much for.

* * *

Slipping out into the night had become a talent of hers it seemed. Raising the hood of her fur-lined cloak, Althea slowly walked down the steps and grasped tightly to the banister. Her legs felt weak and uneasy beneath her, but she knew that the King's Cure would help ease the discomfort her body was feeling. She could recall Esther speaking about it centuries before and she remember exactly what it looked like.

Moving as swiftly as she could, her heightened senses quickly adapted to the world around her. Sniffing the air, she could easily recall the strongly sweet smell of the weed. Esther had taken both she and Rebekah hunting for the weed at night when the moon wasn't full. Finn had often gone with them for protection and she could remember the way that he had constantly scanned the tree line looking for danger. All the while, he'd kept the torch over them to aid their cutting of the healing weed.

Walking, Althea held her hands out and let the branches around her caress her fingertips. The dead leaves mixed with the falling snow and crunched beneath her feet. Coming to a clearing, Althea stopped and smelled the air. The heavy, flowery sweet sent overpowered her and she knew that she'd found it. Opening her eyes and taking a small blade from her cloak, Althea moved swiftly as she could to the small bunches of weed at the base of an aging oak tree. Kneeling down, she cut away a few leaves. Quickly chewing the weed before spitting it back out as Esther had shown her, Althea pressed the paste to the wound on her side and she sighed as soothing relief came from the moment it touched her skin. She was so caught up in the relief that she was feeling that she barely heard the footsteps behind her. Knowing that she was not alone, Althea readied herself with the knife to attack. Rising to her feet quickly, she twirled around on the stalker and pointed the knife at the young man.

"Who are you? Why are you on my husband's lands?" she spat at him.

"I can help you," the young man said quickly as he raised his hands. "Please, I know what ails you."

"You know nothing about what ails me," Althea snapped at him as she walked slowly towards the trees that she had come from with the knife constantly pointed at the unfamiliar man. "If you were wise, you would fear me and run."

She didn't give him a chance to reply again before she turned away. Walking, she came to a halt as Herr Acker stepped out from behind a large tree and smiled at her. She knew of the man and had heard of the horrors he'd inflicted on neighboring villages from the whispers in town. The innocent women he'd burned alive in the name of God and the Church disgusted her. No village was spared wherever he went and a sinking feeling was quickly gathering inside her.

"Milady," he said with a foreboding smile and a thick German accent. "You seem to be lost. Perhaps we can help you."

"I am simply walking," Althea returned with a tight smile. "I am returning home. Please, remove yourself from my husband's lands. He will not be happy to learn that you are stalking them at night."

Herr Acker took a step towards her and Althea could feel the animal inside her coming alive. She doubted that she would truly be able to escape Acker, but she had to try. There was no living with a simple surrender. Turning back to find another route to escape, Althea wasn't prepared for the rope that went around her neck nor the vervain that was thrown onto her face and neck. She screamed out in pain as vervain was thrown on her.

"Did I not tell you?" Herr Acker cried gleefully as he pushed her to the ground. "Witches are afraid of vervain! It burns them!"

Lying helplessly on the ground, Althea felt someone bind her hands in front of her as she burned. There were many voices and she could hear several sets of footsteps, but she couldn't open her eyes to look around her. Her skin burned too much. Weak and unable to fight them, she felt a cloth sack being slipped over her head as they lifted her up. She cried out as they tossed into the back of some kind of wagon. Moments later, the wagon was moving and she could hear the sounds of many hooves moving around her. Closing her eyes, Althea did something that she had not done in such a long time…she called out for Elijah to help her.

* * *

 _March 19, 1530…_

Wearing nothing but a shift, Althea crouched in the corner of the cell that she was being held in and watched as the sunlight appeared more vividly through the bars. They had taken everything away from her including her sun ring. Nothing would protect her if the sun got too close, but it wouldn't kill her. It would undoubtedly burn her, but it would not set her aflame. There was nothing in this world that could kill her except a white oak dagger and she doubted that Herr Acker had such a thing. The sound of footsteps approaching seeing one of Herr Acker's men was not surprising, but seeing Rebekah with him was. Trying to sit up straight, Althea watched as the metal barred door was open and Rebekah stepped inside.

"I will call for you when I am ready."

The young German guard nodded and walked away. The moment his footsteps faded, Rebekah was at Althea's side in a heartbeat, crouched over her with a worried expression marring her beautiful face. Her blood was seeping through the shift and Rebekah tentatively pulled back the cotton to reveal the wolf bite that was slowly poisoning her.

"A wolf bite…" she breathed angrily and stared at the bloody mess of flesh. "Elijah and Klaus are searching frantically for you. The whole town is frantically looking for you! They are all crying out for Lady Althea believing that you are lost in the woods or that the wolves got to you. I only found out about you from the jailer's wife. She was horribly upset that they have you. "

"They took it…my ring." Althea whispered breathlessly. "I cannot move and Herr Acker knows it. You cannot do anything, Rebekah. Acker thinks that I am a witch and my ring is my power. To try and save me would mean having to reveal ourselves to Mikael. Please, just have Klaus put a dagger through my heart. Please, Rebekah…Klaus must end this suffering. He and Elijah will be able to fake my death when they burn me after sunset today."

"Burn you?"

"I heard Acker and his men speaking of it. They plan to gather the townspeople and burn me alive. They will claim that they witnessed me doing witchcraft in the woods. You must realize…Acker is mad."

Rebekah's curls shook violently as her head moved back and forth, "I won't let them hurt you."

"There is nothing you can do. Saving me would mean having to massacre the village to rid ourselves of witness and I cannot let that happen. Promise me! You will say nothing, Rebekah."

Footsteps could be heard and the German guard appeared looking stern. He yelled at Rebekah in German telling her that her time was up and Althea huddled in the corner as the light crept closer and closer to her. The fear of anymore pain was overwhelming and she simply wanted everything to stop.

"Promise me!" Althea demanded Rebekah. "Please, promise me."

"I can make no such promise." Rebekah whispered back before turning and leaving Althea alone in the cell.

* * *

Elijah was standing in the entry hall trying to think of where Althea could be in the woods. She had been missing since the early morning when her maid had gone to help her bathe and break her fast. He'd heard the poor girl's screams from down the hall and had seen the bloody clothes on the bed. It was obvious that wherever Althea was, she was injured.

Klaus had taken one whiff of the cloth and had smelt wolf…they'd quickly come to the conclusion that Althea had been bitten by a wolf. It was the only conclusion that made sense. It had rapidly turned into a community effort when one of the maids had let slip in the market that Lady Althea was missing. People from the surrounding area had shown up at the castle offering to help find Althea and it made Elijah anxious because he knew that even though she could not hurt one of the villagers, she could turn them to ash and reveal their secrets to the world. He could only pray that she had taken gloves with her when she'd left early in the morning. It was one thing that could keep her safe because he doubted that she'd be able to defend herself from anything.

Yelling for the a servant to bring him his riding gloves and cloak, Elijah paused when he heard the door of the front hall bang open against the stone walls. Rebekah came rushing in with a horrified look on her face. She had barely caught herself as she looked at him with wide, terrified eyes and shaking hands.

"They're going to burn her."

"Burn who?"

Elijah looked over at Klaus as he walked into the entry hall with an annoyed look on his face. The younger Mikaelson brother had his arms crossed over his broad chest and a warm cloak that he did not need was worn.

"Come, sister," Niklaus drawled as he rolled his eyes. "We don't have time for your…dramas today. Brother, let us search the western woods. It is possible that she fell and in her weakened state…"

"She cannot heal herself." Elijah whispered brokenly as he looked outside to snow beginning to fall. Winter was being stubborn in refusing to leave them and exposing Althea to the elements further was not something he wanted. Since the curse, she'd become far more delicate than he ever imagined possible and he refused to abandon her to a night in the cold winter.

"They're going to burn Althea!" Rebekah choked out in a sob. "I saw her! I spoke to her! Herr Acker has her locked in the village jail and he's going to burn her at sunset after claiming that he caught her doing witchcraft in the woods. She…she wants you to fake her death with the dagger so that the townspeople don't realize what happened. She doesn't want you to reveal us as vampires."

"We have to stop this." Klaus snapped at Elijah. The oldest Mikaelson in the room barely heard the argument that was beginning between Klaus and Rebekah. The only thing he could comprehend was that Herr Acker planned to burn his wife alive.

* * *

The guards yanked Althea to her feet and she went willingly. There was no amount of mental preparation that would prepare her what was about to happen. The setting sun wouldn't cause her permanent damage, but she could feel the burning sensation on her hands as the guards chained them. For the whole day, they had tortured her by throwing vervain on her skin and forcing her to drink it. She was so weakened by the werewolf poison in her veins and the hunger for blood was becoming too much. The leather gloves that the guards wore protected them from her horrific curse and Althea almost regretted that they would never fully touch her.

One of the guards coarsely braided her hair back and she felt him use a piece of leather to tie the braid off. A moment later, they pushed her outside the cells. Walking with the two guards, Althea felt them roughly push and shove her outside the jail to a wooden cart. Guards surrounded the cart and one grabbed her by the back of her shift and shoved her into the hay that scattered the bottom of the cart. Keeping her head down, Althea felt helpless as the cart began to move. Not for the first time, Althea wished that Esther had never made them immortal. This could not be her life. She didn't want the life that had been given to her. She was not meant to have lived as long as she had. Resting her head on her knee, Althea silently preyed that the fire worked. She wanted the flames to lick her flesh and end the very existence that she'd been given. The streets were emptied and Althea knew that they were all gathered in the town square. All would be gathered for her execution and she wondered briefly what would happen if she didn't burn alive.

The wagon pulled into the town square and looking out, she could see hundreds of torches lit. A platform had been erected with piles of hay and other accelerants around it. Fear trickled down her spine. No matter what happened, Althea reflected, she would be experiencing pain. Everything would hurt and there was nothing to stop.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree? They strung up a man, they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you, coming to the tree? Where dead man called out for his love to flee," Althea sang softly as the wagon came to a stop, "Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you, coming to the tree? Where I told you to run so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you coming to the tree? Wear necklace of hope side by side with me. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree."

A guard yanked her down from the wagon and half dragged her to the steps of the platform. He pushed her down and Althea felt the freshly fallen snow on her lips. Looking up at the steps, she could see the platform of her execution.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where I told you to run so we'd both be free. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if met at midnight in the hanging tree." She sang softly as she picked herself up from the ground. Placing one foot on the bottom step, Althea slowly climbed the stairs and she could hear the protests in the crowd. People were crying out for the execution to stop and demanding that the local nobleman be consulted before Lady Althea was executed. On the top step, Herr Acker stood with a satisfied smirk. On the top step, he grabbed her and shoved her towards the post that had been erected on the small platform. Guards surrounded the area to prevent anyone from stopping the execution. Herr Acker grabbed her wrists that had been bound together and chained them above her head.

"Are you, are you, coming to the tree? They strung up a man they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree." Althea whispered to him, "Are you, are you, coming to the tree? Where dead man called out for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it if we met at midnight in the hanging tree."

"Enjoy hell," Acker spit at her. "You'll burn for an eternity."

The man stepped back and walked down the steps of the platform. He yelled at the crowd that the Lady Althea was indeed a witch and that he'd seen her practicing her magic in the woods late at night. Many screamed in protest, but Herr Acker ignored them and grabbed a torch from one of his soldiers. He threw it onto the hay and accelerants that were around her and Althea closed her eyes as the smell of smoke filled her senses.

She'd given up in her heart and that was the saddest thing of all.

* * *

Walking through the crowd in a hooded cloak, Elijah waited until his brother set fire to the local buildings around the town square as a distraction. The fire would draw people away from the platform and create the havoc needed to rescue Althea from the flames.

"This woman has committed sin!" Herr Acker pronounced. "She is a witch and I have watched cast a curse with my own eyes. She tried to inflict her magic on my men and nearly killed us in forest! She will burn for her sins!"

Elijah missed the individual responses, but he heard the chorus of voices denying such charges against Althea. A small smile came to his lips as he watched the crowd. It didn't matter where Althea went, she inspired loyalty in the people around her. Acker took a torch from his guard and threw it to the platform. Fire easily ignited and just as planned, smoke began coming for the building surrounding the town square. Quickly, flames grew and the night sky appeared to blend with oranges and reds.

"Fire! The shops are on fire!" A man cried out, "Fire!"

Just as predicted, chaos erupted and several hundred people began pushing and shoving to help stop the fire before the whole village burned to the ground. Pushing his way easily through the crowd, he ran for the platform. Darting up the steps, he drew his sword and swung hard above Althea's hands. The iron broke and Elijah quickly pulled her back from the flames that licked her skin and they fell to the ground. Althea screamed in pain as her flesh failed to heal. Between the werewolf bite, having no sun ring and the burning from both the fire and the setting sun, she could barely think through the pain. Klaus was at their sides in a heartbeat and he quickly pulled off his cape and covered her with it.

"She needs blood," Elijah said through gritted teeth as villagers scrambled around them to put the fires out. "We have to get her out of here. She has no ring."

Althea barely heard Klaus' reply. Elijah's strong arms lifted her up and she let out a whimper of pain as he moved her. She could feel them moving and when she opened her eyes, Althea found herself staring up at the painted ceiling in the castle's entry hall. The pain was slowly beginning to ease on her skin, but she felt herself growing warm with fever and it felt strange. She had not been sick in nearly over six hundred years. Closing her eyes again, she clutched Elijah's jacket and hoped that she was finally at the end.

* * *

"They're all dead."

Elijah looked up from where he'd been sitting with Althea. Klaus walked into her chambers and he was covered in blood. The expression he wore was grim, but he did have an air of satisfaction about him. Klaus grabbed a cloth from the bedside table that Althea's maid used and wiped his hands.

"The entire village has been burned to the ground and everyone there is dead," Klaus said again. "I found the man who was in charge of this supposed witch hunt. He's a guest of ours down in the dungeons…Herr Acker."

"Where is Rebekah?" Elijah asked as he stood and pulled back the sheet that covered Althea's body. She was burning with fever from the werewolf venom and he hoped that Klaus' blood would heal her. She was so warm that if she were human, Elijah was certain that she would have been dead already.

"Collecting blood from the staff," Klaus answered as he moved around to inspect the bite on Althea's side.

Protecting her modesty, Elijah raised his wife's shift and showed Klaus the bite. Blistering and turning a violent red and purple, the wound looked horrific. The skin was torn and the gash marks were deep. The wound showed some sign of healing, but the healing was not perfect and it would obviously leave a deep scare on Althea's side.

"I would like to snap the neck of the bastard who did this," Elijah growled. "I don't know who did this, but can you heal her?"

Klaus bit his wrist and leaned over Althea. Elijah listened as his brother softly encouraged Althea to drink the blood. She managed a few gulps before she was coughing the blood back up violently into a basin that Klaus had quickly reached for and held. She choked for a few minutes before she managed to take a few gasping breaths and collapse back on the bed...delirious with fever.

"She managed something," Klaus said softly. "Hopefully, the little amount she took will fight the venom and she'll feel better soon. Has she had anything else to drink?"

Elijah shook his head, "She managed a few gulps of blood before, but she coughed most of it back up."

Klaus nodded and pulled the sheet back over Althea's body. His younger brother was rarely tender to anyone, but in Klaus' black heart, Elijah knew that there was a soft spot for Althea. She was the one true Mikaelson that had never given up on Klaus. She loved him despite all his faults…she loved them all despite their faults.

"She could not have wanted this." Klaus murmured softly as he kneeled down next to Althea's bedside. "I refuse to believe that she would want herself dead. The wolves must had preyed on her and hunted her down."

Elijah stared out into the night and said nothing as he watched the reflection of Klaus and Althea in the glass. His younger brother gentle brought the back of Althea's hands to his lips. Klaus looked helpless as he whispered to Althea words of sweet nothing meant to be the affection words of a scared and worried brother. Elijah knew that she would not want him to reveal the depths of her depression to Klaus. While his brother was confident that Althea did not want to die, Elijah was not so sure. Her depression ran deep and in the shadows…that was where the secrets would remain until Althea revealed them herself to Klaus. To do anything more would be wrong. He had failed Althea in many things, but Elijah knew that he would always protect her secrets. It was one of the few things that she had ever entrusted him with and he would not break that trust.

"Is Herr Acker dead?"

Klaus looked up at Elijah's questions as he turned away from the window. Moving to stand at the foot of Althea's bed, Elijah grasped the footboard and leaned over the bed. He watched Althea's labored breathing and felt anger unlike anything he'd ever experienced filling his belly.

"I'd like to have words with him." Elijah growled.

A smile came to Klaus' lips and his brother stood. He nearly floated to the door with glee because they both knew exactly what Elijah wanted to do. They both knew what he was about to do.

"I'll go check on our esteemed guest," Klaus murmured before taking one last look at Althea. Hearing the door close, Elijah moved to stand next to his wife's bed side. He reached for the hand that Klaus had kissed and brought it to his own lips. Her skin felt hot against his and leaning down, Elijah kissed her forehead.

"Are you, are you coming to the tree?" Elijah sang softly as he brushed a curl away from her forehead, "They strung up a man, they say who murdered three. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where dead man called out for his love to flee. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you coming to the tree? Where I told you to run so we would both be free. Strange things did happen here. No stranger would it be if we met at midnight in the hanging tree. Are you, are you coming to the tree? Wear of a necklace of hope side by side with me…"

A part of him had hoped that Althea would open her eyes and say the next words, but she remained still.

"Why did you say nothing of it, Althea?" He questioned softly as he ran his fingers through her hair, "Why did you not tell us of the bite, min elska?"

Leaning down a pressing another kiss to her head, Elijah ignored the knocking on the door as he stared down at her. Comfortably wrapped in the blankets and a loose shift, Althea looked as if she were sleeping. The only thing that gave away her sickness was the redness to her skin and its warmth. Hearing the door open, Elijah looked up to see Rebekah come in with a goblet filled with blood. He could smell it and he hoped that it would at least tempt Althea when she awoke.

"Stay with her until Klaus or I return," he told her with a warning note in his voice. "I will be back soon."

Leaving the room, Elijah didn't look back. He knew that Althea would disapprove what he was about to do. If events had been different…Elijah wouldn't do what he was about to, but Althea needed to avenged. Someone had to pay for what had happened and that person would be Herr Acker. At the entrance to the dungeons, Klaus met him holding a candelabrum with malicious grin on his face.

"He's waiting for you."

Holding the candelabrum, Elijah descended the stone steps that led to the medieval dungeon that had been in the deepest part of the castle. Dark and damp, he could smell the stench of stale urine and knew that soon the smell of blood would be there as well. Opening the creaking metal gate, Elijah stepped into the stone room and smiled at the sight of Herr Acker chained up in the middle of the dungeon.

He was suspended from the ceiling by chains. His wrists were bleeding and Elijah could see visible signs on Acker's body where Klaus' fist had connected with the man's flesh. It was fairly obvious that the younger Mikaelson brother had held himself back, but Elijah wouldn't. Just the thought of Althea upstairs struggling to simply drink some blood brought a fury alive inside him that he'd never imagined existed. An animal inside him wanted nothing more than to inflict as much pain as possible on Acker. He wanted the man to suffer as much as Althea had suffered. He wanted Acker to be crazed with pain and begging for an end which Elijah would never give.

Setting the candelabra on a wooden table, he looked down at the tools of mutilation that Klaus had laid out to be used on the German hunter. Taking a candle from its place, Elijah slowly lit each torch on the walls around him until firelight danced merrily on the walls around them. Standing before the man that had tried to kill Althea, Elijah felt a hate brewing in him that was so powerful that it frightened him. The feelings inside him had nothing to do with the damage Acker had inflicted on others. No, this anger had everything to do with Althea.

"I do not think we have met."

Herr Acker looked up and gave him a bloody smile. Two teeth were missing and it looked as if Klaus had done his very best to restrain himself from killing the miserable fuck.

"You must be Lord Mikaelson…you are the god the people were crying out for as I tried to burn your blood sucking whore."

Slowly, Elijah walked to the table and picked up at small thin blade.

"You know what we are?"

"Vampires…"

A sick smile came to Elijah's face, "Oh, I am a vampire. I am also something much more primitive."

"And what is that?"

"A husband out for blood. You'll never find an angrier creature."

The hours of screaming that followed only gave Elijah some satisfaction, but the man's screams couldn't cure Althea. The tormented screams couldn't heal her or bring her back to them. The man screaming had only served to push her further away from her family and their comforting arms. With swift, direct moves, Elijah inflicted as much pain as he possible could on Herr Acker without killing the man.

"I hope you have felt as much of the pain that Althea has." Elijah hissed before grabbing the man's neck and twisting it. A snap that was heard echoed through the dungeon and silence filled the stone walls again. Elijah could hear his own harsh breathing as he stared at the man who had inflicted so much pain on Althea. There was no satisfaction from the man's death. All he had was a hole in his chest that couldn't be filled.

* * *

 _Northern France…Near the border with Belgium…_

 _April 16, 1530…_

The carriage rocked and swayed as Althea stared out the glass window. Well sprung, it made the journey only a little easier. Feeling the early spring chill in the air, she shivered and barely noticed the fur blanket that was laid across her lap and tucked around her. It had been only a few weeks since Herr Acker had attempted to kill her. She had spoken hardly any words to anyone and she knew that they were fearful for her. She didn't miss the way that both Klaus and Elijah looked at her with worry. Her hearing was intact and she'd overheard enough of their conversations as they debated her sanity.

Her brothers were frightened for her and she didn't blame them. She was frightened for herself. There was a blackness that was slowly consuming her. It was overcoming all her defenses and she wasn't able to resist it pull. With each breath that she took, the blackness pulled her away from the light a little more. Althea had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she had not even noticed the carriage stopping. Looking outside, her mind registered the most beautiful landscape laid out before her.

"Where are we?" she asked softly.

Outside, a beautiful stone manor was set in the heart of the valley below. The sun reflected against the glass and made it sparkle and left her wondering if the house could even be considered a manor. To Althea, it looked more like a palace set amongst the rolling countryside. A long, winding drive could be seen and extensive gardens. All she could see was a plethora of gardens surrounding the house. It went as far as the eye could see. She felt Elijah's gloved hand cover hers and give a gentle squeeze.

"Stórmerki Detta."

Althea turned and looked at him with tears in her eyes. It felt like ice had been poured over her and her heart set on fire. Hearing the name of the place they had not spoken of in centuries brought feelings that she had long since tried to keep buried away. She could still remember what it felt like to feel the damp soil beneath her bare feet. The smell of the fresh summer flowers never left her dreams and the sounds of the running river never abandoned her. That village haunted her dreams and it was the one place she wanted to return to. Nightly, she prayed that she would awaken to be back home, awake on her own fur pelt. Desperately, she wanted to believe that everything was dream and she'd awaken and laugh with Esther about her strange dream as they made fresh bread.

"Stómerki Detta…Mystic Falls." She whispered to him with a sad smile. "How aptly someone named such a wondrous place, do you not agree?"


	6. 1648 AD

**Chapter Six: 1648 A.D.**

"… _Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful_ _  
_ _Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul_ _  
_ _I know you will, I know you will_ _  
_ _I know that you will_ _  
_ _Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful…"_

~ "Young and Beautiful" – Lana Del Rey

 _Northern France_

 _July 1648 A.D._

 _July 11_

 _My mother once told me that time heals all wounds. All Althea and I have is time now and it seems as though her time fades away with each day. One hundred and eighteen years has done very little to heal the wounds cruelly inflicted upon her. A century we have lived in the country and little peace has she found. She tries to hide it, I know she does. In all the time I have known her, Althea thinks very little of herself and cares for those around her more. I can remember her compassion towards Anya all those years ago as she courageously defied her father. I can still see her kindness in trying to save Katerina. I can still feel the warmth of her lips on mine the night I kissed her in Italy. For all those things, she received a beating, a curse, and a less than worthy husband._

 _Her pain though has grown so greatly that I no longer know how to reach out and help her. In my desire to save my brother and Rebekah, I have lost the one constant that has been with me through all these long years. She has comforted Rebekah in times of need and supported Klaus on his darkest days. She has given up so much to keep a promise my mother forced her take. Through all these trials…she has endured, but that endurance is fading. I see it in the way she struggles to do most things. Where she once freely smiled, it is forced. I see it in the way she wanders around the countryside as if looking for a purpose. The beautiful brightness of her eyes has dimmed and the glow she once possessed is leaving her. Klaus has noticed it on his visits and not even his paintings bring the joy to her that she once had over them. She smiles and tells him how wonderful it is, but I see the look in her eyes that she tries to hide._

 _There is something I cannot explain about her. Her goodness was spared from my mother's magic and that very goodness has shown for so long as guiding starlight. She has become my North Star and that light is fading from the sky. It diminishes with each breath she takes and each tear she silently cries. I do not know when it began, but each moment that passes leaves me feeling more powerless to stop it. There is nothing I fear more than the day that my Northern Star fades to darkness…_

Elijah put the quill down and closed the ink pot. Standing and walking to window, he watched the very subject of his thoughts slowly wonder aimlessly down the garden path to the large fountain that was the focal point of area she walked in. Her beautiful dress blew in the soft breeze. The cream colored silk complimented her skin and her curls were pulled back to reveal her swan like neck. He had long since come to the belief that she was by far the most beautiful creature he had ever laid eyes on. Gracefully, she sank to sit on the stone edge of the fountain and dipped her fingers into the water.

Watching her, Elijah couldn't place the exact moment when it had happened, but he'd fallen in love with her. He loved her more than he'd ever loved Tatia or any woman. The love that had grown for Althea made anything that he felt for Tatia pale in comparison. In 1492, Althea had confessed her love to him. She had willingly gone to search for a way to save the woman he had thought he'd loved and she had given him a gift so precious that day. He had not realized what she'd given him and in his blindness, he'd smashed a fragile gift that had been hanging on a glass threat.

"Is she wandering today?"

Looking over his shoulder, Elijah nodded to Klaus as his brother stood in the doorway. He turned his gaze back to Althea as Klaus moved to stand in the next window. She had not moved and he did not know how long she would spend staring at herself in the reflection of the water. A maid moved to stand over her with a parasol, but Althea sent her away.

"It's going to be one of those days. I can feel it," Klaus murmured as Elijah nodded in agreement. "Did your books have any effect?"

"None," Elijah told him quietly and was silently grateful that Klaus was with him. His brother pretended not to care for many, but Elijah never doubted Klaus' care for Althea. The curse that was meant for Klaus had been wrongfully put on Althea and Elijah knew that his brother blamed himself for it after all these years. Althea had shown them all that not all the humanity was gone from Klaus. Like his brother, Elijah did not know how to reach out and bring her back from whatever darkness was pulling her away to sea.

Her depression had grown so worse in the past few years that Klaus had begun to base himself permanently in France with them. Even Rebekah who had taken to wondering the world on her own now returned often to be Althea. Their sister was one of the few that could pull a genuine smile for Althea's lips.

"She found the dagger a few days ago," Klaus whispered into the silence. "I caught her in the same trunk where we keep it and she barely said a thing when I pulled her away from it. I can only say that she had a look of…longing. I cannot call her pathetic or anything else. She is above my reproach in this. After what everything, I finally understand her wanting to die. She has been cursed with what should have been my curse. She is carrying what should be my burden. She is unable to feed or touch anyone, but another vampire and even then…I know she is afraid."

"Niklaus," Elijah murmured back as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead on the glass. "I may just give it to her. To watch her suffer…I know that you claim to have no heart, but she was not meant for this. Her heart…I have inflicted too much upon her. This life…she cannot survive much longer."

"We could ask her to close off all emotion," Klaus suggested angrily. "That would be far better than letting her end her life! She is your wife, Elijah! There must be another way!"

"She would not be able to turn off her emotions if we asked," he replied quietly. "Her goodness would not allow for that to happen. You and I both know it. Besides, I would not let her become the very thing that she cannot stand to be. I will not see her become the monster that we ourselves have become. Do you think that she would be able to live with herself if she ever turned her emotions back on?"

For half an hour they stood together and watched her in silence before Klaus turned towards him.

"You must love her very much to give her the dagger," he spat angrily. "Love! It is your greatest weakness."

Without another word, Klaus fled the private study and Elijah let him. He had long since come to terms with the fact that Klaus doubted love's existence. Scared by their parents and haunted by nightmares, Klaus could not understand what he, Elijah, felt for Althea. It was the reason why Klaus could not understand why Elijah was prepared to surrender the dagger to her. Living without her was the one thing he did not want to do and yet, he couldn't live to see her suffer so much pain.

* * *

 _July 12, 1648…_

Elijah looked into the music room and found Althea sitting in the new pianoforte that had been delivered shortly after breakfast that morning. A handsome piece, Elijah paused a moment to watch Althea run her fingertips over the shining wood. He was certain that he would spend the rest of his years spoiling Althea. Seeing her smile when he gifted her dress, books, or diamonds never failed to bring a warm feeling to his chest. He no longer did it simply to cheer her up. No, Elijah had long since come to realized that he doted on her because he loved her. He loved seeing her completely engrossed in a book or hearing each new pieces of music that she mastered. She was by far the best pianoforte player that he'd ever heard and he reveled in every moment that she let him listen. He had come to know her likes and dislikes, what brought her boredom and what brought out her passions. He had long since discovered she preferred diamonds over any other stone. He had come to know every silent signal she gave in a conversation. An arched brow meant that she was feeling somewhat playful and a roll of her eyes meant that she disagreed.

In the long time that they had been together in the country, he'd come to know her more intimately than any other person. Tucked away from the world, he'd come to love her more than any other. Whatever he'd possessed with Tatia had been a passing fancy. Not even Tatia could inspire the feelings that had bloomed in his chest at the very thought of Althea. No woman ever had and Elijah knew that no other woman ever would. People had spoken to him before of soul mates and fated loves, but he'd dismissed them. He'd told his own mother that such a thing did not exist, but she had proven him to be wrong. If he could put to words what he felt for Althea, the word starlight came to mind. It was her light that bathed him in warm and he yearned for her love. Love that she had once professed to him and he'd thrown it carelessly away…

He had long since doubted that her love for him even existed anymore. He was a monster and he'd been…Elijah couldn't even put to words how horrific he'd been to her. Failure was all he'd given her. Failure and heartbreak was all he'd provided her with, but he was slowly mending it. Each day that he loved her was a day that eased not only the aching of his own black soul, but he hoped eased Althea's as well. He hoped that each day brought some renewed strength to her.

Stepping into the music room with the news clipping that Klaus' friend had sent, Elijah waited until she looked up at him with a small frown. The line that formed between her brows begged him to kiss it away and soothed, but Elijah resisted. Someday soon, he would not hold himself back. Someday, he would walk to her and simply kiss away that line. Today would not be the day. The news clipping contained some things that he was being forced to address with her and it was not something he wished to do. Walking towards her, he stopped at the pianoforte and looked down at her.

"Klaus says you've become quite famous at the Duke of St. Albans castle," Elijah began with a hint of disapproval. " _'The Legend of the Woman in Red'_ that is the title of the article that was forwarded to him from a contact in London. It's become quite a hit story in the countryside."

Ripping the newspaper from Elijah's hands, Althea scanned the newspaper and he saw the first smile come to her face in days.

She scanned the news clipping and gave a most unladylike snort. The details of the story were greatly exaggerated, but the general outline still seemed intact. The story of how an angry woman, whose husband's affairs had become common knowledge, lost her sanity and killed a roomful of men was quite amusing to read. Parts were certainly embellished and she knew the real death toll.

"It's quite…exaggerated."

"How many did you actually kill?" Elijah demanded to know with a hint of disapproval in his voice. "Sixty? Seventy?"

"Twenty-five," Althea said mockingly as she handed the paper back to him. "It was my final meal before I lost the ability to bite humans. Klaus said the words 'Petrova Doppelganger' and I simply lost it. What would you like me to do? Write small cards of apologies to the current families for their loss?"

"What exactly happened between you and them?" Elijah asked sounding a little more than jealous. In truth, jealous plagued him and the very thought of anyone touching her body made him see red with anger. He had lost his rights to her body a long time ago, but it didn't mean that he did not want to renew those rights. No, Elijah wanted to be the man that brought her to the greatest heights of pleasure. He wanted to be the one to show her what exactly her body was capable…how much passion could pulse through her veins. He wanted to be the one to touch her and know her body…he wanted to be the only one…no one else…

"Nothing," Althea laughed humorlessly, "Honestly, Elijah! What do you think I did? I made love with each of them before I snapped their necks and bled them dry? Do I truly seem as if I were that kind of person? Really! The only sort of romance that I witness is the maid with the footman in the butler's pantry sometimes for a quick session of love making against a wall. That is the only passion that I have ever known."

Her words reverberated around his head before Elijah completely understood exactly what her words meant. If possible, his heart stopped in his chest at the realization that she was untainted. She was still the virgin that she had been on their wedding night. A part of him was relieved and a second part was shocked.

"Are you telling me—"

"Yes, Elijah!" she said as her cheeks grew red under his heated gaze. Elijah looked exceptionally surprised as he watched her. That she admitted such a thing freely gave him cause to celebrate. Not only was she trusting him with such valuable information, she was willingly telling him with prompting or questioning.

"I was simply assuming that perhaps over the centuries you had grown close with one of the masters I had engaged for you," he murmured. "I thought that you had perhaps had a lover at one point or another. I would not be upset or unreasonable about such an event happening."

His own history of illicit affairs and dalliances passed between them and he knew that she was thinking about it as much as he was. It was one of the many things that he had come to regret of the past years. Elijah could not count how many times he wished that he hadn't chosen other women.

"Unlike you," Althea snapped back. "I have not whored myself out for blood or for quick and easy entertainment."

"Not even after our wedding night? You were with no man when we were human?" Elijah asked, still unsure as to how to move on from the shock.

"Our wedding night does not even count as a wedding night," she told him mockingly and he silently agreed. "It was awful and humiliating and it was made even worse by the fact that people knew that we had faked that night. The blood stain never worked with some. Even Tatia knew that you hadn't lain with me and she made sneering comments and hateful remarks every chance she had. So, if my listening to the maids is so distasteful, please enlighten me because I must be the world's oldest—"

Before he could stop himself, Elijah cut her off with a swift kiss to her lips. It had been something that he'd wanted to do from the moment that they had arrived at the château. The beautiful sprawling estate was purely magical and it was casting a spell over him that left him begging to kiss Althea every time that he saw. He pulled away and smiled when he saw that her eyes were still closed.

"A single kiss does not undo anything," she murmured softly.

Pressing another kiss to her lips, Elijah had long since promised himself that his lips would never touch another woman's. This moment only reaffirmed his promise to himself and whatever higher power existed that he'd begun bargaining with. The same sweet nectar that he'd tasted in Italy had only become sweeter and she would ruin all other lips for him. Breaking the kiss, Elijah peppered soft kisses to her cheeks, jaw and brow before she opened her eyes and stared at him. A tear slipped down her cheek and she forced a smile on her lips.

"I am not a fool, Elijah," she whispered. "I know what happened in the caves between you and Tatia. I know that seeing Katerina in England affected you. You cannot deny it. You do not love me. You only want to save me and I am not pathetic enough to let you save me because you pity me for being weak or for being a virgin."

"Pity is the last thing that is on my mind." He whispered to her before leaving the music room before he lost all control and ravaged her on the new pianoforte.

* * *

 _July 13, 1648…_

"Did the pianoforte not suit you? You were playing it so beautiful earlier."

Althea looked up when she heard his voice. The book in her hands was forgotten as she stood up. Elijah showered her with gifts and his newest gift was a beautiful pianoforte. It was by far the loveliest sounding thing that she had ever played. She could have spent hours playing it, but she had run out of music to play and did not feel like trying to drum up enthusiasm to play anything. Her fingers had grown tired and she knew that it was because of her refusal to drink blood. She hadn't even had a sip in days. It was better to have the feeling of all consuming hunger to suppress the grief that threatened to overwhelm her.

"It was very beautiful," Althea told him quietly as she sank back down onto the window seat. "I thank you for such a beautiful gift, Elijah."

For a moment, she lost the feeling in her fingertips. The book she had been holding in her lap slid from her hands, down the front of her gown and dropped to the floor. Closing her hands, Althea folded her hands hoping Elijah would not touch her to see how cold they had become. She did not want him to pity her any longer. She could not have his love, but having his pity was far more painful. She'd had his pity for nearly three decades and she could not bear it any longer.

Elijah bent and picked the book up. Kneeling before her, he reached out and took her hands into his. In the past decade, he had touched her more than he had touched her in their whole existence. She couldn't understand why he wished to clasp her hand or brush a kiss against her knuckles every so often. There was no one around to act for and Althea told herself it was because he pitied her.

"Your hands are cold," he said softly as he looked up at her with concern. "When was the last time you had something to eat?"

"A biscuit at daybreak," she told him as he gently massaged her fingertips to warm them.

"That is not a meal," he whispered with a stern tone. "Your hands are cold, Althea. We do not get cold. We do not feel weakness enough that we can no longer walk far. You stopped playing this morning because your fingers became tired. That is not normal for us. When was the last time you had blood?"

"It does not matter," Althea snapped already feeling annoyed. "I cannot touch a human to feed. Unlike you, I do not need to feed every day. I can go days and yes, I do yearn for the taste of warm, fresh blood from the vein of a human, but I will never get to taste it again. So, what does it matter if I do not drink it?"

Elijah said nothing to her words, but let go of her hands. He stood up and quickly slipped his velvet blue coat off and unbuttoned his silver waist coat. Walking across the room, he closed the door to the music room and locked it before joined her at the window seat.

"What are you doing?" Althea asked as his waist coat joined the coat on the floor. Elijah ignored her question and quickly undid his cravat and tossed it aside as well. He unbuttoned the wrists of his snow white dress shirt and rolled up the sleeves to his elbow. He withdrew a small dagger from the pocket in his waist coat and she knew what he was doing. Rebekah had told her about blood sharing between vampires and it was not something she wanted do with Elijah. Her sister had described it as being the most intimate and personal thing that could happen between two vampires besides sex.

"I'm not drinking blood from you," Althea whispered. "I'd rather drink from a pig."

Elijah ignored her and raised the dagger to his palm. Cutting the outside edge, he could tell that the smell of blood had an immediate effect on her. She knew eyes darkened and she could feel her body become tense. He pulled her to him as he leaned back against the panel wall. One leg stretched out and one bent with his foot on the floor, he looked so calm and relaxed that it seemed dreamlike that he wanted her to drink his blood. She wanted to fight him, but just thinking about blood made her realize how truly ravenous she was. Elijah pushed a few curls that had fallen over her shoulder back as his hand healed.

"You're hungry," he pronounced gently. "You haven't eaten in days except the small goblet of blood your maid gives you every few days from her wrist. Eating human food will not sustain you, Althea. You and I both know it."

Her mouth ached to bite down and feed. She felt like a person that had not had water in days, so acute was her hunger. Elijah raised the dagger again, but like a dart, Althea reached out and stopped him. Taking the dagger, she tossed it aside to be with his coat and waistcoat.

"You will not hurt me," he told her softly. "Take as much as you need, Althea."

And she did. The feeling was euphoric and unlike anything she had ever felt. So long had it been since she'd sunk her teeth into anything that she barely heard the moan of pleasure that she let out. Curled against Elijah's chest, she could feel his hand on the back of her neck and it only added to her drive to feed. His touch ignited something within her that she could not stop. For the first time in a long time, Althea felt her hunger become sedated. It did not take long for her to feel full. Curled against Elijah's chest, she strove to fight off the drowsiness that accompanied a good feeding. His fingertips traveled over her smooth skin that was exposed.

She fought against sleep. It was the last thing she wanted to do. This was a moment that she wanted to remember for the rest of eternity and beyond. Promising that she would close her eyes for just a moment, Althea drifted off to sleep as Elijah pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

"When did you become my everything?" he asked her sleeping form. "When did you become my heartbeat?"

* * *

It was nearly dark when Althea woke again. She wasn't in the in the music room, but in her own bed. Elijah was gone and she felt so confused. Something felt different about her. Something had changed and she couldn't quite explain it. It was as if there was someone with her, but she was quite alone. A warm feeling was growing inside her and she couldn't deny that she felt physically better. The constant ache in her teeth had gone away and for the first time, the god awful hunger that plagued her had been sedated. If it was lady like enough, Althea was sure that she would have been purring like a kitten. She felt that content simply lying on the bed. A silk blanket had been placed over her and gently pushing it back, Althea set her feet on the stone floor.

A fire danced merrily in the grate and shone light across the dim room. Spotting her fur slippers near the chair by the hearth, Althea slipped them on reached to the shawl that had been laid across the back of the wingback chair. Leaving her rooms, Althea wandered the house until she heard voices.

"You must do something with her," Klaus hissed from behind a partially closed door. "This has been going on quite long enough."

"I will handle this," Elijah snapped back sounding exceptionally angry. "Give me a little more time, brother."

"One week. If you do not do something…I will go and fetch Rebekah."

Althea barely jumped back from the door before Klaus threw it open.

"Althea," he said calmly with a smile. "Finally awake, love? You look much better. Color in your cheeks."

Klaus pressed a kiss to her cheeks as he turned towards Elijah and pulled her into the study. Looking at the various maps that laid out on the desk, Althea wondered exactly what they were up to. Elijah was startled to see her up and about, but he kept whatever comment that he was about to make to himself as their butler appeared in the doorway to the study.

"I beg your pardon, milord," Louis said in a deep baritone, "The local judge is here asking to speak with you. I've shown him to the library, if that is acceptable."

"Yes, of course," Elijah replied as he moved around the desk. "Please send refreshments for the judge and I will be there in a moment."

As he passed her, Elijah dropped a kiss onto the side of her head and Althea watched him go with mixed feelings. Part of her was relieved that he was leaving, but she couldn't stop the electrically current that had swept through her body when he come close to her. Elijah left the study with the butler following him and a footman closed the door from the hallway.

"Planning world domination?" she asked playfully to Klaus after hearing the door click shut. A grin came to his face unlike anything that Althea had seen in years as he guided her to a wingback chaired near the fire.

"And would you join me?" Klaus questioned with a laugh and a large grin. "I'd build temples for you and have the humans worship at your feet as the most beautiful creature in the world. Would you like that Althea? Would that make you laugh more?"

Looking down at her hands, Althea shook her head. Leaning up to Klaus, she kissed his cheek as he fussed with putting a blanket over her lap. The action was so out of character for Klaus that she knew that she been the subject of the conversation that she had interrupted. Letting Klaus fuss, Althea grabbed his hand as he finished and gave it a gentle squeeze.

"I do not need to be worshiped. I am sure there are far more beautiful women in the world besides myself. Will you be staying long?" she asked a small frown.

"As long as you ask me to stay," Klaus replied easily with a grin as he kneeled before her. "I am at your mercy."

"I was hoping that you could do something for me."

"Anything, my darling girl. What would you like me to do?"

"I confess," Althea sighed and pulled at the invisible threading of the silk blanket. "I was hoping that we could add some…personal touches to the house. I request from you a painting. Elijah's birthday is coming soon and I wished to give him a painting. I can think of no better artist to commission. You are, by far, the most talented one that I know."

A delighted smile covered Klaus' face as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek, "What do you have in mind?"

"A landscape," Althea smiled as she held Klaus' hands in hers. "Paint the stone steps near the bench that Elijah loves to sit on and read in the late afternoon. He will love it, I am sure."

"As you command, my love," Klaus smiled. "It will be done in time for Elijah's birthday. I will do my utmost to make you proud of it."

"You are the very best of brothers, Niklaus," Althea whispered. "Never forget how much I love you. I love you even if you do tease me unmercifully."

"Will you smile for me more if I stop?" he asked seriously. "Will you be happier if I stopped?"

"You would not be the Niklaus I have come to know and love if you did."

* * *

 _July 20, 1648…_

"Here you are! I thought I might find you up here. Niklaus is hard at work on some new painting of his and I bring good news! Rebekah will be coming to see us," Elijah told her as he held up the letter he carried. "I thought that you would like to see what she says about Greece and the new friend she has made there. She and this young girl are taking in the pleasures of the ancient world, I believe."

Standing in the field of grass, Althea looked down at the grand house that Elijah had given her. The view was beautiful and the rich colors of the gardens mixed to look almost like a painting. She had spent the last few hours simply standing in the field and memorizing every single detail. Ignoring Elijah's out stretched hand with the letter, Althea walked past him. Something inside her had snapped and she could not stand there another moment. Using his speed, Elijah stepped in front of her and looked at her worriedly.

"Do you not wish for Rebekah to come?" he questioned with a frown, "It will make you feel—"

"I want to feel nothing," Althea whispered before turning away. Her words brought pause to Elijah as she walked past him. He turned and watched her go with a heavy heart for he knew what her words meant. She was burning out and he did not know how to reach her, but he had to try. Going after her, he caught up to her easily and gently grabbed her elbow. The letter was long forgotten as he searched her face.

"Tell me what is wrong," he murmured to her. "Tell me what is wrong and I shall fix it, min –"

"You have called me that since we came here," Althea said tearfully. "What is wrong…you cannot fix, Elijah."

She yanked herself away from him and continued walking back to the house. Her skirts flying out behind her in the wind as she hastened her steps.

"I cannot fix it if you will not even let me try," he called to her and she stopped.

"What has been broken has been broken for so long that I fear it is not fixable," Althea told him as she turned to face him. "I do not even know what is broken, Elijah. How can you fix it?"

He watched her and took slow steps towards her. His soft brown eyes fixated on her and she hated it. She hated that he looked at her with such pity. She wanted his love above anything else despite all the hurt and sadness he had caused. Pity was the last thing she wanted from him and it appeared to be the only thing that she could inspire in him.

"Why did you do it?" he asked her after he'd stopped in front of her., "Why did you go after a cure for Katerina?"

"It does not matter," Althea murmured as she looked away from him and down at the ribbon in her fingers. "It is long since over and you bring up the past."

"Why?" Elijah pressed again. "Why did you do it?"

Seeing that he would not let the matter go, Althea drew in a breath and weaved the ribbon she'd been holding through her fingers. She had tried to bury the past away and she didn't know if she could safely let herself open the door without destroying her very being. Standing on the hillside, Althea knew she could no longer live the life that was laid out before her. She could not live in the beautiful manor Elijah had given her nor wear the beautiful dress and jewels that he gifted her. She could not praise Klaus' paintings and try to pretend they made her happy. There was nothing left worth living for and lingering only extended the pain. Pain that had been growing for so very long…pain that was now unbearable and that crushed her with its very weight.

"I did it because I love you," she confessed softly. "I did it because I do not want you to suffer the same as I have these many long years. When you were with…her…you smiled like you used to when were human. There was light in your eyes and you looked so happy. All I wanted for you that day was happiness. Magana told me that I had discovered the secret of life that day when I went to her and I wish that I had never learned of it."

"What is the secret of life?" Elijah questioned as he covered her hands with his. She could feel his warm skin against and the silky embrace of the ribbon. To end the pain, she knew of only one way. There was one object that could end the torment inside her and she wanted it.

"I will tell you, but you must give me something in return."

"You wish to make a deal with me," he said as a small smiled came to his lips. "Alright…what is the secret of life?"

Turning and looking back at the house, she knew exactly which window matched to the room that contained Elijah's trunk. The dagger was buried at the bottom under scrolls and leather bound journals that had documented his long life. She had not dared to read his thoughts, but she had stumbled upon the dagger while looking for a book that he'd given her in Italy many centuries before.

"There is no greater gift on this earth nor nothing as powerful in this world and the world beyond as love. No spell can harness the power that love creates over the individual who loves. There is no spell that can match the power in the very truth of how far a person is willing go to save their love nor what they are willing to sacrifice protect the person they love. The greatest magic we possess is love," Althea whispered. "It is our greatest passion and it can bring us the greatest agony and I would beg you to please, end my agony. I know that you have the silver dagger, Elijah. I wish for it to mine. I have told you what the secret of life is according to Magana and now you must keep up your end of our deal."

"Handing over the silver dagger was not our deal," he choked back.

"Please," she begged softly as tears fell down her cheeks. "Let me use the dagger you possess in the bottom of your trunk. You promised to give me what I wanted and I want to die. I cannot live like this anymore, Elijah. There is nothing left for me to live for!"

Althea wrapped her arms around herself as she stared out at the beautiful landscape they were surrounded by.

"How many times have we walked down this road?" she asked him softly. "Please…you have my heart in your hands, Elijah. I am at your mercy. Since the very first time you helped me to carry that woven basket of tunics back to your home, you have stolen little pieces of my heart from me and I do not know when you stole the last piece, but you did. I can only beg you not to take a dagger to it any longer. That is the only mercy I ask of you."

Not pausing, Althea turned and walked back down the hill to the manor house. She couldn't let him see her tears because the gods only knew how much she wanted him. It would only lead her to more heartbreak when he turned to another one of his lovers that had the same dark look as Tatia. The heart he held in his hands was so fragile that Althea doubted it would take much for it to shatter into pieces that could never be put back together.

All he had to do was to give her a small, tiny push and the pain he caused would be so that she was willingly crawl to Klaus and beg him to put a dagger into her. She would willingly beg him to end her existence however he could. There was nothing left to live for. Dark grey clouds rolled in above her and thunder rumbled. Picking up her skirts, Althea ran for the large willow tree. Pushing aside the long tendrils of leaves, she fell back against the trunk of the tree and rested her head back.

"Why Esther?" she cried out. "Why did you make me promise all those years ago never to leave him?"

"Because she knew you and I were always meant to be."

Opening her eyes, Althea looked at Elijah as he stood in front of her. She could feel his breath on her cheek and feel the warmth of his body. His long hair had become loose from the ribbon that had held it back and curled behind his ears. His warm brown eyes bore into hers and she felt as if he was staring into her very soul.

"You have confessed yourself," Elijah breathed as they stood sheltered under the branches. "But I have my own confessions. I kissed you in 1114 and since that kiss you have given me no peace. Not even in my dreams! Your lips haunt me. I have wronged you more times than can ever be counted…that will forever be my greatest regret, but in the years I have spent here with you…you have taken your own pieces of my heart from me. Can you not see it? Can you not feel it the very air we breathe? Or have I not done enough to show my true feelings? I know you think I look at you with pity, but it is not so. Tell me Althea, what I must do to convince you of my feelings for you? Ask me anything and I will willingly and I will gladly do whatever you request of me."

His tears fell down to caress her cheeks as if they were her own tears.

"Ask anything of me, Althea," Elijah pronounced as his hand came up to caress her neck. "Ask anything of me, but I beg you not to end your existence. You have been my guiding starlight and I do not wish to live in a world without you. I am a fool! It has taken me this long to realize it, but I do not wish to live darkness. You are the warming light that keeps the heart in my chest from freezing in the darkness that could easily consume me."

Reaching inside his waist coat, Elijah pulled out the dagger and offered the grip to her.

"If you believe that you must end this life," he told her. "I will not stop you. I cannot count the many times you have suffered for what you believed to be my happiness. You have set aside all your own feelings for my imagined happiness. You have walked next to me even as I have inflicted great pain on to you. I will not stop you from reaching out and taking the dagger. I would even press it into your heart if you asked me, but I beg you to let me try and cure the pain that you feel."

"Why? What is the point?" Althea cried as her own tears fell down her cheeks. "What is the point of living, Elijah?"

Thunder rumbled again above them and the sound of rain hitting the leaves began softly. It was one of the few melodies that did not change with time.

"The point of living is so that I can feel the warmth of the starlight that shines from you and share it with you," he whispered softly. "So that every stolen kiss I share with you becomes as much a part of your soul as it does mine. So that every smile and every laugh we share fills your heart with the greatest joy. So that we may make happy memories to replace the years of torment that I have filled your heart with. So that every second I spend with you is not a second wasted, but a moment lived to fullest. The point of living, my Althea, is so that I can love all of you. If you leave, the sky will have lost its brightest star and I will have lost the one thing that I have come to cherish above all else. These clothes, the house we live in… the world means nothing to me without you. Build a life with me that will fulfill every dream you have and even the ones that you did not know existed. Let me live for you until you are ready to live for yourself. Let me carry you when you can no longer carry yourself. Let me shelter you and your heart until you feel ready to reveal them to me again. I promise you, I will treat them as if they with the utmost care because they are the most precious treasure I will ever be given in this long life of ours. Just do not dare to leave this life without knowing how much I've come to love you."

Rain fell from the sky harder as Althea looked back at Elijah, she could see every promise in his eyes and in the tears that had become one with the rain.

"Please," Elijah begged her. "Do not leave…not yet…not before we've loved each other. Not before I've had chance to show you what you mean to me."

The dagger fell from his hand as he cupped her neck with both hands and Althea felt his warm breath on her face before his lips met hers. It was not the passionate kiss she'd expected. No, it was a sweet kiss that told her he'd meant every word. It the kiss she'd told the little girls about in their village before bedtime. It was the kiss the hero gave the girl when he knew that he'd fallen in love with her. It was a kiss she never wanted to end.

He pulled away first and pressed his forehead to hers, "I love you."

Raising her hand to caress his cheek, Althea pulled away and smiled tearfully at him. Taking his hand, she bent down a picked up the dagger he'd tossed aside so easily. Walking, he walked instep behind her as they walked back to the manor in the rain. By the time they reached the stone steps of the veranda that led out to the grounds, they were soaked. Walking up them, she led Elijah to the double doors and pushed them open. He followed her through the entry way with its impressive marble floors and up the grand staircase. Through the maze of halls until she reached his rooms and pushed open the twin doors. Stepping into his sitting room, she walked slowly backwards until she walked into his writing desk. It was only than that she held the blade and offered the grip out to him.

"I wish to change the terms of our deal. I told you what the secret of life is…now this is what you must give me. Elijah, live for me until I can live for myself," she whispered to him, "Make me whole again and love me until the end of all things in this world and beyond. Please, just love me. That is all I ask of you. Forever and always…"

He was before her in heartbeat and the dagger was tossed aside again. He lips were pressed into hers with the sweetest of all passion and Althea cared for nothing else in the world at that moment. The rain poured down outside and the thunder that rattled the glass in the windows, but she hardly noticed as Elijah's lips caressed every part of her skin.

Somehow they made it too the large four poster bed in his chambers. Clothing was removed with shaking fingers and eager caresses. The way his hands skimmed over her sensitive flesh left Althea begging for more. His lips trailed kisses all over her flesh and left her burning. He ignited a flame of desire that she needed to be fulfilled badly. For the very first time, he loved her in the late afternoon of that summer day. Every touch he gave and every kiss she offered brought them closer. Pleasure unlike anything that Althea thought possible hummed through her body. There was not an inch of their bodies that was not left untouched by their hands nor was any part left without a kiss.

It was the closest to heaven Althea was sure that she'd ever reach. With Elijah…she felt as though she touched the stars and bared the last of her soul to him. He murmured her name like it was a long forgotten prayer as he worshiped her body over and over again until he had no more strength. He kissed away every tear and they shared in every moment of bliss as one.

Lying together afterwards in the late afternoon, she caressed his cheek as he held her close. It still rained and the thunder echoed out every so often, but nothing could shake what they had experienced together. A fire burned between them and its warmth warmed the numbness within her soul.

"Marry me," Elijah whispered as his forehead rested against hers, "Marry me again, my starlight from the heavens above, I never want to let you go. I know that I am unworthy of you now, but give a chance to prove myself to you. Give me the chance to be the man you believe that I can be."

* * *

 _Two days later_

 _July 22, 1648…_

Elijah let his hand rest on her lower back as she stood beside him in the church. A silvery blue dress was what Althea had worn and he had never seen a more radiant bride in all his long years. Klaus stood on the other side and held onto the bouquet of flowers he'd given her. It was the one tradition Elijah had failed to observe the first time he had married her. It had Finn who had given Althea her bouquet of flowers in 984. Custom had once dictated that the groom wait his bride with the flowers he believed matched her beauty, but he hadn't done that the first time.

This time, Elijah had made sure to find all the flowers he believed represented her beauty, but he still felt like he failed her. There was to be no celebration afterwards and no men waiting to steal kisses from his poor bride the moment he left her side. There was no wedding sheet that needed to be provided as proof to the masses. A quiet meal had been planned with Klaus and Rebekah would arrive later in the week to the news her brother was a newly married man…again.

Watching her pick up the quill, Elijah smiled as she signed her name and the date next to his. This was to be the record that would live on in history. This was the proof that she was giving him a second chance. It was by far one of the most beautiful sights that he'd ever seen.

 _Althea Mikaelson, 22 July 1648_


End file.
